Oral hygiene systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A method for promoting compliance with an oral hygiene regimen includes displaying, on a display device, a representation of at least a portion of a set of teeth of a user. The method also includes overlaying an indicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated with a first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination, via at least one of one or more processors, that a head of an oral hygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first section of the set of teeth that corresponds to the first section of the representation for at least a predetermined amount of time, the indicium is removed from the display device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/841,845, filed Apr. 7, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/218,044, filed Dec. 18, 2018 (now grantedas U.S. Pat. No. 10,646,029), which in turn claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/611,105, filed on Dec. 28, 2017,the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to oral hygiene systems, andmore particularly, to oral hygiene systems and method for promotingcompliance with an oral hygiene regimen.

BACKGROUND

Compliance with proper technique and frequency of oral hygieneactivities, including brushing and flossing, is essential for healthyteeth. Plaque, a bacterial biofilm, forms on teeth and contributes totooth decay, gingivitis, and other dental problems. However, plaque canbe removed by brushing at least once a day for two minutes, andpreferably twice a day, inhibiting or mitigating tooth decay.

However, compliance with an oral hygiene regimen is especially pooramong children and adolescents. For instance, many section of the teethare frequently missed after bad habits develop. According to the CDC,although preventable, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease ofchildren aged 6-11 (25%) and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (59%).Also, 28% of adults aged 35 to 44 have untreated tooth decay. Researchshows that children continually miss the same areas during brushingwhich leads to isolated buildups of plaque on certain teeth.Accordingly, more important than the length of time of brushing, is theefficacy of the tooth brushing. Additionally, dental health educationonly has been shown to generally only have a small and temporal effecton plaque accumulation. According to the American Dental Association,the compliance with proper oral hygiene regimens is quite low. Forinstance, only 49% of men and 57% of women brush their teeth twice aday.

Accordingly, there is a need for oral hygiene systems and methods thatpromote a user's compliance with dentist recommended hygiene regimens todecrease cavities, gum disease, and other dental complications from lackof brushing. The present disclosure is directed towards addressing theseneeds and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a methodfor promoting compliance with an oral hygiene regimen includesdisplaying, on a display device, a representation of at least a portionof a set of teeth of a user. The method also includes overlaying anindicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated witha first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination,via at least one of one or more processors, that a head of an oralhygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first section of theset of teeth that corresponds to the first section of the representationfor at least a predetermined amount of time, the indicium is removedfrom the display device.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, an oralhygiene system includes an oral hygiene device, a sensor, a displaydevice, one or more processors, and a memory device. The oral hygienedevice includes a handle and ahead. The memory device storesinstructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause the oral hygiene system display, on the displaydevice, a representation of at least a portion of a set of teeth of auser. The instructions also cause the oral hygiene system to overlay anindicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated witha first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination,via at least one of the one or more processors, that the head of theoral hygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first sectionof the set of teeth that corresponds to the first section of therepresentation for at least a predetermined amount of time, the indiciumis removed from the display.

According to other implementations of the present disclosure, a methodfor promoting compliance with an oral hygiene regimen includesdisplaying, on a display device, a representation of at least a portionof a set of teeth of a user. The method also includes overlaying anindicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated witha first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination,via at least one of one or more processors, that a head of an oralhygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first section of theset of teeth that corresponds to the first section of the representationfor at least a period of time, the indicium is removed from the displaydevice. The indicium is one of a still image, a video image, or ananimated image.

In yet another implementation of the present disclosure, an oral hygienesystem includes an oral hygiene device, a sensor, a display device, oneor more processors, and a memory device. The oral hygiene deviceincludes a handle and ahead. The memory device stores instructions that,when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause theoral hygiene system display, on the display device, a representation ofat least a portion of a set of teeth of a user. The instructions alsocause the oral hygiene system to overlay an indicium on therepresentation such that the indicium is associated with a first sectionof the representation. Responsive to a determination, via at least oneof the one or more processors, that the head of the oral hygiene deviceis positioned directly adjacent to a first section of the set of teeththat corresponds to the first section of the representation for at leasta period of time, the indicium is removed from the display. The indiciumis a graphic symbol representing an object.

According to other implementations of the present disclosure, a methodfor promoting compliance with an oral hygiene regimen includesdisplaying, on a display device, a representation of at least a portionof a set of teeth of a user. The method also includes overlaying anindicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated witha first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination,via at least one of one or more processors, that a head of an oralhygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first section of theset of teeth that corresponds to the first section of the representationfor at least a period of time and that the movement of the head of theoral hygiene device corresponds to a predetermined brush stroke duringat least a portion of the period of time, the indicium is removed fromthe first section of the representation.

In yet another implementation of the present disclosure, an oral hygienesystem includes an oral hygiene device, a sensor, a display device, oneor more processors, and a memory device. The oral hygiene deviceincludes a handle and ahead. The memory device stores instructions that,when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause theoral hygiene system display, on the display device, a representation ofat least a portion of a set of teeth of a user. The instructions alsocause the oral hygiene system to overlay an indicium on therepresentation such that the indicium is associated with a first sectionof the representation. Responsive to a determination, via at least oneof the one or more processors, that the head of the oral hygiene deviceis positioned directly adjacent to a first section of the set of teeththat corresponds to the first section of the representation for at leasta period of time, the indicium is removed from the first section of therepresentation and associated with a second section of therepresentation.

According to other implementations of the present disclosure, a methodfor promoting compliance with an oral hygiene regimen includesdisplaying, on a display device, a representation of at least a portionof a set of teeth of a user. The method also includes overlaying anindicium on the representation such that the indicium is associated witha first section of the representation. Responsive to a determination,via at least one of one or more processors, that a head of an oralhygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a first section of theset of teeth that corresponds to the first section of the representationfor at least a period of time, the indicium is removed from the firstsection of the representation. Finally, an image of the user is capturedvia a camera, the image comprising an augmented reality image overlaidon at least a portion of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an oral hygiene system;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an example of the oral hygiene deviceand of an example base station of the system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an oral hygiene device and headaccording to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of an example of an oral hygiene devicehandle;

FIGS. 3C-3E are perspective views of an example replaceable heads thatmay be attached to a head interface;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process utilized torecord brushing or other hygiene data and provide feedback to the useraccording to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is diagram illustrating an example of an oral hygiene device andbase station, with a magnetic field generator in the base station orother associated device;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating an example of an oral hygienedevice with visual patterns according to some implementations of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustrating an example of an oral hygienedevice head with visual patterns according to some implementations ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a system thatidentifies the position of the oral hygiene device visually without apattern;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view illustrating an example of a toothbrushhandle with an insert;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view illustrating an example of a toothbrushwith an insert removed;

FIG. 8C is a perspective view illustrating an example of an insert thatincludes a battery and electronics for a toothbrush;

FIG. 9A is a front view illustrating an example of a mobile devicedisplay with brushing feedback;

FIG. 9B is a front view illustrating an example of a mobile devicedisplay with brushing feedback;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an oral hygiene system accordingto some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11A is a front view of a display device of the oral hygiene systemof FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 11B is another front view of a display device of the oral hygienesystem of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a method for operating the oralhygiene system of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 13A is a front view of a display device of an oral hygiene systemaccording to some implementations of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 13B is a front view of an oral hygiene device in athree-dimensional volumetric space.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an oral hygiene device monitoring andfeedback system 100 that includes: an oral hygiene device 1 equippedwith sensors, a base station 2 for receiving and charging the oralhygiene device 1, a mobile device 30 that wirelessly receives/sendsdata, a dedicated wireless link POA 8, a server 4 and a network 3 fortransferring the information from the server or between other variouscomponents of the system 100.

Data Communication

The oral hygiene device 1 may have an antenna 5 and transceiver meansfor radio communication to a compatible complementary antenna 5 andtransceiver means of the base station 2 through a radio link 31. Theradio-communication link 31 may be for example WiFi or GSM or Bluetoothor their derivatives or other proprietary protocols. Additionally, oneor more optical sensors 9 may communicate with a mobile phone 30, basestation 2, server 4, or other associated computing device as disclosedherein.

In another embodiment, antennas and transceiver means are replaced orcompleted by wired connections or connectors to allow the exchange ofinformation between the oral hygiene device 1, optical sensor/camera 9,and/or the base station 2. Wired connectors may also provide electricpower supply from the base station to the oral hygiene device 1 forrecharging a rechargeable electric source of the latter. In anotherembodiment, the electric power supply from the base station to the oralhygiene device 1 or optical sensor device 9 is provided withelectromagnetic induction circuitry.

The base station 2 may be powered through a power cord. The base station2 may alternatively be powered by a rechargeable battery which ischarged from time to time with a battery charger powered by the powersupply grid. The base station 2 has a receiving slot for physicallysupporting and storing the tooth brush when it is not used by a user.

The base station 2 and or separate optical sensor device 9 includes adata exchange circuit, for communicating data with a network 3, forexample the internet. Data may be transferred using aradio-communication link 31, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , with the antenna5 of the base station 2 and with the antenna 5 of a dedicatedcommunication equipment 8 or POA, connected to the network 3. In otherembodiments, transfer of data between the base station 2 and the network3 are performed through a wired link, for example ADSL.

The antenna 5 and transceiver means of the oral hygiene device 1 and/orcamera/optical sensing device 9 is also compatible with radiocommunication means of a mobile device 30 over a radio link 31. Theradio-communication link 31 is for example WiFi or GSM or Bluetooth ortheir derivatives or other suitable protocols. In some embodiments,radio links 31 are short range, local, radio communication links or aradio link 35 such as the ones used in cellular or other mobile phonesystems (GSM and derivatives for example).

The mobile device 30 is also able, via its radio communication circuits,to exchange data on a radio link 31 through the dedicated communicationequipment 8 or POA, on the network 3. In addition, or alternatively, themobile device 30 is able to exchange data on a radio link 35 directly onthe network 3.

A server 4 is connected to the network 3 by any suitable means. Server 4is defined broadly to include computing devices capable of storing andcomputational operations for example on the “cloud” in a computingnetwork. The server 4 may include storage devices, for instance memory,hard disk drives, flash memory, or other storage devices and includescomputational means under the control of a program. For the transfer ofdata, the oral hygiene device controlling circuit uses a predeterminedserver 4 address of the network 3. This predetermined address may bestored initially in the oral hygiene device 1 and/or updated laterthrough the network 3. The transfer of data between the oral hygienedevice 1 and server 4 may be performed: a) each time the oral hygienedevice 1 is replaced in the base station 2 in a batch configuration, b)at the direction of the user or the server 4, for example by user actioninitiating the transfer using the interface of the mobile device 30 or aweb page accessing the server 4 or c) in real time when oral hygienedevice 1 activities are detected, or d) the oral hygiene device 1 isremoved from the base station 2 or e) at other suitable intervals.

System Circuit Design and Network Architecture

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the oral hygiene device 1 may include apressure sensor 10 and at least one sensor 11. The sensor 11 shown inFIG. 2 can refer to any suitable type of sensor. The pressure sensor 10detects force applied on the brushing side of the oral hygiene device 1when a user applies the bristles to their teeth. The sensor 11 can be amotion sensor for detecting motion on any or all three of the orthogonalaxes of the oral hygiene device 1, or a motion sensor may be able todetect accelerations or other motion characteristics in all three axes.The signals output by the sensors are processed by a signal conditioningcircuits 12. Examples of signal conditioning include: frequency andnoise filtering, amplification, conversion, digital signal processing,and other techniques to optimize the detected signals for analysis.

On other embodiments, the oral hygiene device 1 may not include anyelectronics and may be a standard toothbrush. In those embodiments, aseparate optical sensor/camera 9 may perform the tasks of tracking themotion of the oral hygiene device 1.

The processed signals or raw data from the sensors are then stored inmemory 14 as determined by a control system 13 which may be a digitalsignal processor, microcontroller, or other processing component andwhich operations are controlled by a program 15. The memory 14 may beincluded in the oral hygiene device 1 or on a server 4 or othercomponent of the system 100. A program 15 may be updated through an oralhygiene device 1 interfacing circuit 16, a modem for radiocommunication, and its antenna 5 (and/or connector in case ofcontact/wired interface) or other interfaces of the oral hygiene device1. More generally, the oral hygiene device interfacing circuit 16 allowsinformation exchanges between the oral hygiene device 1, the opticalsensor device 9, and the base station 2 when the radio link 31 isestablished (and/or connectors of the tooth brush and of the basestation are mated together). The oral hygiene device 1 may contain apower supply circuit for powering the sensors and the circuits of theoral hygiene device 1 and it can include a rechargeable electric source17.

The base station 2 may include a base station interfacing circuit 20, amodem for radio communication, with an antenna 5 (and/or connector) toexchange information over link 31. In addition, the base stationinterfacing circuit 20 is able to establish a radio link 31 with thededicated communication equipment 8, for communication with the network3. The base station 2 may utilize a power supply converter 22 which isregulated 21 to provide appropriate voltage and current to the basestation circuits. Electrical connections (not illustrated) for providingcharging current to the oral hygiene device 1 from the base station 2may be provided. In some embodiments, the base station 2 may include arecharging circuit for recharging a battery or power supply of thetoothbrush, through inductive charging or a direct electricalconnection.

The base station 2, optical sensing device 9, or other separateelectronic device may also include a magnetic field transmitter 110 thatemits a magnetic field that may be sensed by an associated magnetometeror other magnetic field sensor. The magnetic field transmitter 110 maybe provided by utilizing the charging circuits or other circuits thatalready exist in the base station 2 or other electronic device. Forexample, the base station 2 may have a recharging coil that could alsoserve as a magnetic field transmitter 110. The recharging coil may befixed and in a known orientation, so as to create a magnetic field ofknown strength and polarity orientation. In some embodiments, the basestation 2 may include a recharging coil that generates a magnetic fieldwith a polar axis situated in a horizontal or vertical plane. In someembodiments, this may be a single axis magnetic field transmitter 110,such as in the case of a single axis recharging coil. In otherembodiments, 2 or 3 axis magnetic field transmitters 110 may beincorporated into the base station 2. This will advantageously allow fora fixed magnetic field(s) of known orientation so that a magnetometer(sensor 11) on the oral hygiene device 1 may sense the strength andpolarity of the magnetic field(s) in order to provide informationregarding the position and orientation of the oral hygiene device 1, orthe relative changes in position and orientation.

In some embodiments, the base station 2 or other electronic deviceseparate from the oral hygiene device 1 may also include a camera 9 thatmay detect visual patterns on the oral hygiene device 1. The camera 9may be any suitable camera that may detect a visual pattern on the oralhygiene device 1. For instance, the cameras provided with mobile phoneswould be suitable. In other embodiments, a standalone camera or opticalsensing device 9, a separate camera stand for a mobile phone, aconnected mirror or other camera or imaging device may be utilized.

In some embodiments, the base station 2 is passive and its circuits areunder the control of the controller 13 of the oral hygiene device 1 whenthey are communicating together, specifically when the link 31 is of thewired/contact type with connectors. In the embodiment represented onFIG. 2 , the base station has a control system 19 which controls itsoperations.

The dedicated communication equipment 8 may include a radio modemcircuit 27 and the appropriate electronics for communicating withnetwork 3. The dedicated communication equipment 8, is able to establisha radio link 31 with the base station 2 and/or a radio link 31 with themobile device.

The mobile device 30 includes at least a radio modem 26 for establishinga radio link 31. The operations of the mobile device 30 are under thecontrol of a control system 25, for instance, a central processing unitor μC, and of a program 15. The mobile device 30 includes an outputmeans such as a display screen and an input means such as a virtual ormaterial keyboard. Preferably, the input and output means of the mobiledevice 30 are used in the system to input information and to displayinformation, notably the results of computations performed by a server.The mobile device 30 may also include a camera 9 that is capable ofdetecting visual patterns supplied on the oral hygiene device fordetection of movement.

The program of the computational means of the server 4 allows storage ofsignals received from the oral hygiene device 1. Additionally, theserver 4 may analyze the data from the sensors to produce feedback andmotivational data regarding the user's performance in brushing theirteeth. These results may be accessible to the user on an internet pagehosted by the server 4 or transferred to another webserver for hosting.In a different embodiment, the previous operations and computations aredone fully or partially in the mobile device 30, the server 4 being usedfor general monitoring.

It should initially be understood that the disclosure herein may beimplemented with any type of hardware and/or software, and may be apre-programmed general purpose computing device. For example, the systemmay be implemented using a server, a personal computer, a portablecomputer, a thin client, or any suitable device or devices. Thedisclosure and/or components thereof may be a single device at a singlelocation, or multiple devices at a single, or multiple, locations thatare connected together using any appropriate communication protocolsover any communication medium such as electric cable, fiber optic cable,or in a wireless manner.

It should also be noted that the disclosure is illustrated and discussedherein as having a plurality of modules which perform particularfunctions. It should be understood that these modules are merelyschematically illustrated based on their function for clarity purposesonly, and do not necessary represent specific hardware or software. Inthis regard, these modules may be hardware and/or software implementedto substantially perform the particular functions discussed. Moreover,the modules may be combined together within the disclosure, or dividedinto additional modules based on the particular function desired. Thus,the disclosure should not be construed to limit the present invention,but merely be understood to illustrate one example implementationthereof.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someimplementations, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to aclient device (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receivinguser input from a user interacting with the client device). Datagenerated at the client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction)can be received from the client device at the server.

Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back endcomponent, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front endcomponent, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described in this specification, or anycombination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front endcomponents. The components of the system can be interconnected by anyform or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., theInternet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer to-peernetworks).

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively, orin addition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificiallygenerated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical,optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encodeinformation for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, orother storage devices).

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a “data processing apparatus” on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing The apparatus can includespecial purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gatearray) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Theapparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that createsan execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g.,code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtimeenvironment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them.The apparatus and execution environment can realize various differentcomputing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributedcomputing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astandalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device(e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

Oral Hygiene Device Design

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C, the oral hygiene device oral hygienedevice 1 may include a handle 40, and a head 42 that may be removablyconnectable to the handle 40. The handle 40 may contain a motor that ismechanically connected to the head 42 and when activated vibrates ormoves the head 42 in manner that brushes a user's teeth when placedinside the mouth. The handle 40 includes a head interface 46 thatremovably attaches various heads 42 to the handle 40. The head interface40 contains leads 48 for both data and power transfer to various heads42. For example, certain heads 42 may include sensors that require powerand data transfer, and therefore power can be routed from the handle's40 power source to the head 42 through leads 48 that form a connectionwith the head 42 at the head interface 46. The may be various numbers ofleads 48 that form the connection on the head interface 46, for instancethere may be two leads 48 for power, and two leads 48 for data, threeleads 48 for power, three leads 48 for data, and other various numbersof leads. In some embodiments the head interface 46 will form awatertight seal with the head 42 to prevent water from entering theinterface and interfering with the electrical leads 48 power and datatransfer.

In some embodiments, the majority of the circuitry and costly componentscan be contained inside the handle 40 as opposed to the head 42, whichmay be disposable after a certain number of uses. This will minimize thecost of the replacement heads 42. For example, in some embodiments, thebattery, controller 13 may be contained in the handle 40, and any sensorprobes and circuitry to connect the sensor probes may be contained inthe head 42. In other embodiments, the head 42 may contain no circuitryor electrical components and will only provide a mechanical brushingfunction by supporting the bristles.

For instance, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8C, the electronics and batterymay be contained inside an insert 800 that is easily slidable into aconventional oral hygiene device 1. For instance, an oral hygiene device1 may include a chamber and connector that is connectable to a base andinsert 800 that slide into the chamber and the base forms a watertightseal with the connector. The insert 800 could be any manner of shapes(cylindrical, rectangular or others) that would slide inside a space ofthe toothbrush. In some examples, the base and connector will contain ascrew and thread mechanism to attach the toothbrush. In some examples,the connector and base will include a press-fit mating configuration foreasy connection and detachment. For instance, the connection may be madewith opposing wings on the connector and the base as illustrated inFIGS. 8A-8C.

In some embodiments, oral hygiene device 1 may only be a standardtoothbrush, or other standard oral hygiene device 1 that is commerciallyavailable and may not have electronics, or may only have electronics formoving the head to facilitate brushing. In some embodiments, the oralhygiene device 1 may only include patterns 120 or an attachment 130 witha pattern 120, and may not include any motion sensing electronics, ormay not include any electronics at all. Accordingly, in theseembodiments, the visual tracking software may be utilized to determineposition and orientation of the oral hygiene device 1.

The oral hygiene device 1 may also include a speaker 50 and variousvisual indicators 52 to provide audio and visual feedback to the user.For example, the handle 40 may contain a speaker 50 for playing music,substantive feedback, motivational phrases, remaining time elapsed,recommendations on brushing pressure, on whether certain quadrants havenot been adequately brushed, an announcement for completion of brushing,etc. Additionally, the oral hygiene device 1 may contain any number ofvisual indicators 52, for providing substantive feedback on the brushingincluding time elapsed, a LED indicator for when brushing is complete,warning indicators for brushing inappropriately, including indicatorsfor whether each quadrant has been addressed. In other embodiments, theoral hygiene device 1 may also utilize osteophony to convey audiomessages to the user.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the oral hygiene device 1 may contain ahandle 40 and head 42, where either or both may include a pattern 120for visual detection of movement and orientation by an associated camera9. For instance, in some embodiments, the back of the head 42 maycontain a pattern (i.e. “AB” with a circle and line as illustrated). Inother embodiments, the pattern 120 may be contained on an attachment 130that may be attachable to the head or on the neck, painted in thebristles, or other positions.

The handle 40 may also include a pattern 120, or in some embodiments maybe the only component that includes a pattern 120. The pattern 120 onthe handle 40 may be applied directly to the handle 40 or may be in anattachment 130 that clips or connects to the end of the handle 40. Thepattern 120 may be positioned at a convenient location on the attachment130 or on the handle 40 so that it may be detected in all angles ofnormal brushing activity. In some embodiments, the handle 40 may includemultiple patterns 120 on different sides for detecting differentorientations. For instance, in some embodiments, the attachment 130 maybe square or circular and have a different pattern 120 on each side inorder for the system to detect the orientation of the oral hygienedevice with respect to the camera.

The attachment 130 may be weighted so that the oral hygiene device 1stands by itself when set on a flat surface. For instance, a weight thatis heavy enough 130 to keep the oral hygiene device 1 upright may beapplied to the bottom of the attachment 130. In some embodiments, thismay be particularly useful if the attachment 130 is spherical on thebottom. This will give the oral hygiene device an entertaining qualitythat will be intriguing to children and even adults.

Pattern 120 may be applied using paint, other marking processes, or itmay use reflective coatings, mirrors, or fluorescent coatings. In someembodiments, pattern 120 may utilize color, or it may be grayscale.

Oral Hygiene Device without Pattern or Electronics

A standard oral hygiene device 1 or oral hygiene device may be utilizedwithout any electronics or patterns. As indicated, in some embodimentsthe position and motion of the oral hygiene device 1 will be detected.

Sensors

The oral hygiene device 1 or separate electronic devices (e.g. opticalsensors) may incorporate various sensors that detect certain attributesof brushing that may be analyzed to provide various feedback and othermotivational information to the user. For instance, one or more opticalsensors 9 may also be utilized on a separate electronic device to detectan orientation and movement of the oral hygiene device 1. For instance,the optical sensors 9 may be utilized to capture images of an oralhygiene device 1, and the images may be sent for processing to identifyits borders, shape, longitudinal axis, and orientation (for example byidentifying its bristles). In some embodiments, the optical sensor(s) 9may be utilized may detect patterns on the oral hygiene device 1 ratherthan the oral hygiene device 1 itself. The optical sensor(s) 9 utilizedfor pattern detection may be oriented in a direction to provide a visualline of sight to the pattern 120 on the oral hygiene device 1 that maybe on the head 42, handle 40 or on an attachment 130.

As another example, the oral hygiene device 1 may incorporate variousmotion sensors 11 to determine the quality of the brushing with respectto certain quadrants of the mouth or even individual teeth. The motionsensors 11 may include gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers,gyrometers, and other various sensors capable of detecting positions,movement, and acceleration. These various motion sensors 11 may beincorporated either in the handle 40 or the head 42. However, it may beadvantageous to put the motion sensor 11 in the handle 40 because insome embodiments where the motion sensor 11 is in the head 42, themotion sensor 11 can experience at lot of additional motion (e.g., dueto brushing and engagement with teeth) that may interfere with detectinga position. In some embodiments, a magnetometer will sense a vector(s)of the earth's magnetic field. In some embodiments, a three-axismagnetometer will be used and in others a two or one axis magnetometerwill be utilized.

A magnetic field generator 110 may also be utilized to generate a knownmagnetic field with a known polarity that may be sensed by amagnetometer incorporated into the oral hygiene device 1. The magneticfield transmitter 110 may be placed inside the base station 2 whichwould already have a recharging coil and/or interfacing circuit 20 thatmay be utilized to produce a detectable magnetic field. In otherembodiments, the magnetic field transmitter 110 may be a separateelectronic component in the base station 2 or in a separate physicalcomponent entirely. In some embodiments, the magnetic field transmitter110 would be in a stationary unit with a known orientation.

The oral hygiene device 1 may also incorporate various proximity sensorsthat detect the proximity of the oral hygiene device 1 to the mouth of auser. These may be incorporated at the head 42 or in the handle 40. Theproximity sensors may be utilized to acquire additional positionalinformation relevant to determining the brushing quality of the user.

Additionally, the oral hygiene device 1 may contain a pressure sensor 10to determine whether the user is applying appropriate pressure inbrushing their teeth. The pressure sensor 10 may be incorporated intothe head 42 which may be more easily flexible or utilize simple pressuretransducers or other components capable of measuring pressure.

In certain examples, the oral hygiene device may contain a pH sensor 10.The pH sensor 10 may be utilized to determine the salivary pH of a user.For instance, in some examples, a user may be instructed to place theoral hygiene device 1 in the user's mouth prior to using toothpaste ormouthwash, to test the salivary pH. Salivary pH may be indicative ofperiodontal disease or gingivitis.

In other examples, the oral hygiene device 1 or system 100 may alsoinclude a depth perception sensor. For instance, in some examples thedepth perception sensor will project a laser light grid or other laserpattern from the base station 2, for example in place of camera 9, andinclude a detector that will detect and analyze distortions in thepattern to determine depth. The depth perception sensor may be utilizedto determine more accurately the outlines of separate objects foridentification and motion tracking. For instance, the system 100 may beable to more easily identify the user's head and facial features, anddistinguish from the oral hygiene device 1. Accordingly, the depthperception device may be utilized to determine movement in a planeparallel to the line connecting the base station 2 to the user.

In some examples, the oral hygiene device 1 may also contain a depthperception device. For instance, in some examples, the oral hygienedevice 1 may include a depth perception projector and sensor thatprojects onto the user's teeth. This may be utilized to form a map ofthe user's teeth and to detect holes or cavities in the user's mouth.

In some embodiments, various heads 42 may incorporate a camera 56 thatwill detect various aspects of tooth quality that may or may not berelated to brushing quality. For example, a camera 56 including a nearinfrared camera 56 may be able to be utilized on an oral hygiene device1 to collect data indicative of demineralization or dental caries ordental decay. For example, the oral hygiene device 1 may utilize certainwavelengths that are particularly suited to detect these abnormalities,for instance in the 1300-1400 nm range. In some embodiments, the oralhygiene device 1 may also contain a light source 58 that will be focusedtowards the teeth during brushing and can be utilized by the camera todetect certain abnormalities.

In some examples, the output of the camera 56 may be utilized by thesystem 100 to form a tarter map of the user's mouth. For instance, insome examples, the system 100 may utilize the images from the camera 56to identify tarter based on the reflection wavelengths, and build aschematic or other representation of the tarter for the user's mouth.For instance, the camera 56 may utilize certain wavelengths and/orfilters that reflect tarter more readily, and identify which areas ofthe mouth have more or less areas of tarter, or other issues. Forinstance, tarter may cause light to reflect less, and may also reflectdifferent wavelengths. These different patterns can be filtered ordetected by machine learning algorithms by the system as described infurther detail below.

Certain cameras 56 and potentially light sources 58 may also beimplemented to detect levels of plaque on the teeth and changes inlevels of plaque during brushing. In certain embodiments, infrared ornear-infrared light sources 58 and an appropriate camera 56 that detectsand records light in this wavelength range may potentially allow for thedetection of plaques.

Program for Brushing Analysis and Feedback

The systems various sensors and optical sensors may gather data relevantto the quality of brushing by a user or the overall dental health of auser's teeth. This data may then be processed using programs orapplications installed in various portions of the oral hygiene devicemonitoring system 100. Accordingly, as described above, data from thesensors and optical sensors may be processed by a program executed bythe oral hygiene device's 1 control system 13 or alternatively aprocessor on the mobile device 30, another associated computing device,or the server's 4. The system's 100 processing and analysis of the datawill result in output data representing feedback relevant to a user'squality of brushing. This feedback may be communicated through audiofeedback through the oral hygiene device 1 speaker 50, visually on theoral hygiene device 1 indicators 52, or both on an associated mobiledevice 30 or when accessed on a website hosted or in communication withthe server 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the process by which the oral hygienedevice 1 evaluates the brushing quality of a specific user. Each thesteps may not be required in a specific embodiment, but variouscombinations of these steps may be implemented in an oral hygiene devicemonitoring system 100. First, the user may input a user profile 70 intothe oral hygiene device monitoring system 100, to allow the user tocalibrate the oral hygiene device 72. In some embodiments, the oralhygiene device 1 may be calibrated at the factory, by the user or both.After calibration, the user may pick up the oral hygiene device 1 andbegin brushing her teeth. The oral hygiene device or associatedmonitoring devices (e.g. camera) would then determine that brushing isinitiated 74, and start recording sensor data 76 during brushing. Thenthe oral hygiene device monitoring system 100 may analyze the sensordata 78 to output brushing quality feedback 80 to the user.

User Profile

Accordingly, a user profile 60 may be entered 70 for each particularuser of a certain oral hygiene device 1 or associated with a specificaccount stored on the server 4, inside the oral hygiene device, basestation or other computing devices. Upon initialization for of a neworal hygiene device or new account on the server 4, a user may entertheir information that may be utilized to determine optimal brushingtimes and characteristics. For example, a program 15 may first request auser's name, gender, height, weight, age, and certain questions on theirdental history. The user profile 60 may then be associated with certaindata recorded during use of the oral hygiene device by the user,including calibration data that is specific to certain oral hygienedevices 1, associated optical sensors 9 or is generic and can be appliedto any oral hygiene device 1 or optical sensors 9 connected to thesystem 100. In some embodiments, a user may upload a picture ofthemselves, or a program may be initiated that uses the opticalsensor(s) 9 to capture a picture of the user from a distance from whicha user would typically brush their teeth.

Detecting Usage

A tooth brushing monitoring system 100 may also determine whether usagehas taken place and the number of usages per day. In some embodiments,the oral hygiene device 1 and/or optical sensor detection system detectsmotion data through motion sensors 11 and/or optical sensors 9 andanalyzes the data to determine whether usage has occurred, or whetherthe brush has been moved or usage is feigned.

When motion indicative of usage is detected, the oral hygiene device 1or optical sensor device 9 may store the positional and motion data inits memory 14 for later analysis. For example, this will prevent therecording of false positives, for example when a user moves the brush ina medicine cabinet, or from children circumventing the system by brieflyshaking the toothbrush.

For example, movement indicating usage may be associated with a certainacceleration level and/or frequency that is characteristic of aparticular user. In other embodiments, a user may push a button orswitch on the oral hygiene device 1, base station 2, or device with anoptical sensor/camera 9 to wake up the sensors on the device, which willthen begin recording data. Accordingly, the system will determine whenbrushing is initiated 74. In some embodiments, this will be performedautomatically, for example, upon the detection of certain accelerationsand frequencies. Accordingly, once the user picks up the toothbrush, themotion sensors 11 may begin recording the data 76 and sending it to anyof the various control systems 13 in the system 100 to analyze it 78 forcharacteristics associated with brushing.

For instance, the oral hygiene device 1 will generally be resting on itsbase station 2 pointing upwards prior to use, in an orientation thatwould not be suitable for brushing by a user holding the oral hygienedevice 1. Accordingly, once the user picks up the oral hygiene device 1,the oral hygiene device 1 will generally be rotated roughly 45 degreesto be held primarily horizontal during brushing. Accordingly, onethreshold criteria for determining that brushing is initiated 74 wouldbe whether the oral hygiene device 1 has been titled within a certainangle range indicating the oral hygiene device 1 is horizontal or nearhorizontal. This could be an angle range of 20 degrees, 5 degrees, 10degrees, or other suitable ranges. Additionally, a series of calibrationsessions may indicate a suitable range. Of course, this could bedetected by optical sensors 9 and/or motion sensors 11.

In some embodiments, the user may turn on the device and the opticalsensor/camera 9 (and/or depth sensor) may begin recording. Then thesystem may look to determine when the pattern 120 is at a certain heightindicating it is close to the user's mouth. This may be combined withacceleration information detected by the optical sensor(s) 9 andanalyzed as above for the motion sensors 11.

In other embodiments, the determination of whether brushing hasinitiated 74 and whether or not it has ceased may be performed by thesystem 100 using a statistical analysis of the motion data from motionsensors 11 and/or optical sensors 9. This statistical analysis may beperformed by correlating data from the motion sensors 11 and/or opticalsensors 9 to previous tooth brushing or calibration data, or data storedfrom other users. For example, after performing the analysis, a certainthreshold of correlation of the motion data with previously recordedcalibration data that is associated with usage may be determined thatindicates brushing has initiated 74 or is in progress. Accordingly, oncethe user begins brushing, the system 100 may record that usage has beeninitiated 74 and record the data 76 in memory 14 until usage stops asbrushing data, for instance after the correlation falls below a certainthreshold.

For instance, utilizing an optical sensor/camera 9 system setup, theoptical sensor/camera 9 may output data that includes images of the oralhygiene device (e.g. toothbrush or water flosser) and the user. The datamay be sent to various control systems to be processed and analyzed formotion. For instance, the image processing algorithms may firstdetermine a boundary condition to identify the boundaries of thelips/mouth of the user, the teeth, the head, the oral hygiene device,the handle, head, bristles, water flosser, etc.

Identifying the boundaries of the human characteristics could beutilized using standard boundary identifying algorithms that generallymay utilize threshold changes in certain colors (light frequencies).Once the boundaries of the oral hygiene device 1 are identified, alongitudinal axis could be identified, and potentially an orientation ofthe bristles (if it is a toothbrush) to determine an angular orientationabout the longitudinal axis. This will allow the system to determine thegeneral orientation and motion of the toothbrush, with time stampedframes from the imaging device.

Then, the toothbrush can be identified as on a certain side of the mouthby analysis of the relative positions of the toothbrush and features ofthe mouth. Furthermore, the orientation of the toothbrush with respectto the side of the mouth it is on can be utilized to determine whichsection or portion of a user's teeth are being brushed or water flossed.For instance, of the bottom of the upper molars are being brushed on theright side, then the visual system would determine the toothbrush is onthe right side of the mouth with the bristles facing up.

Furthermore, once the outline and orientation of the oral hygiene device1 is determined in each frame, the time stamps of each frame can beutilized to determine the motion of the toothbrush. For instance, thechange in positions, (time and distance) can calculate speed andacceleration of changes. Accordingly, as with motion sensors 11, theimage data can be utilized determine the motion of the oral hygienedevice. Accordingly, that motion may be utilized to determine compliancewith brushing or other oral hygiene standards as disclosed furtherherein.

The analysis of motion data (processed from motion sensors 11 or imagedata from optical sensors 9) may utilize a fingerprint or signature typeanalysis that only compares relative movements. The signature may bedetermined based on the acceleration in certain axes (as detected bymotion sensors 11, time stamp image data, or other methods), as themotion of brushing teeth is generally performed in a relatively rapidmotion that is uncharacteristic of any other incidental movement of theoral hygiene device 1, for example, to put it back in the cabinet.Additionally, the frequency of the brushing may be monitored, asbrushing is generally a rapid periodic motion, and therefore variousbandpass frequency, low-pass, and Kalman filters may be used or othertechniques to identify certain frequencies of interest and amplitudes inthose frequencies that indicate brushing.

These amplitudes in frequencies may be certain frequencies that reach athreshold amplitude, that are associated or determined to indicate auser is brushing. For example, certain frequencies in horizontal orvertical axes may be required for the system 100 to determine brushingis initiated 74, or certain periodic accelerations that reach certainthresholds may be required for the system to determine brushing hasinitiated 74. In some embodiments, this may a frequency of 1-5 Hz. Oncethe data analyzed by the controller 13 falls below a certain thresholdthat indicates use, the system 100 may stop recording data or determinethat brushing has stopped.

In addition to statistical analysis, the system may detect movementindicating usage or actual brushing by using filtering and thresholdanalysis. For example, the system 100 may first filter the data from themotion sensors 11 to pass frequencies only in a certain band (asbrushing is periodic) and monitor those frequencies to detect when thefor one the signal in that reach a threshold for at least a certainnumber of cycles or duration to determine the user is brushing. Forexample, if a user brushes their teeth at an average of 1-5 Hz (orpotentially less in the case of a motorized toothbrush), a band passfilter of 1-5 Hz may be implemented.

Thus when the system 100 detects that amplitude of the frequency band inthe 1-5 Hz range reaches a threshold indicating use, the controller 13may begin to record data from the sensors in the memory 14 for theduration of time the motion data indicates the oral hygiene device 1 isbeing used. Additionally, periodic accelerations in certain axes orangular acceleration (for circular brushing) that reaches certainthreshold amplitudes may also be used to indicate brushing hasinitiated. The analysis of the data may also be affected by whether theoral hygiene device 1 includes an electronic motor to vibrate the headto assist in brushing. In those embodiments, the data may be filtered toeliminate the high frequency acceleration and other noise created by theelectronic motor.

Quality of Brushing—Movement Types

In some embodiments, the quality of brushing based of the type ofmovements the user performs using the oral hygiene device 1 may bedetermined. Dentists have indicated that certain movements are more orless beneficial for brushing. Different types of movements includecircular movements, in both clockwise and counterclockwise motions, tipto root motions, and left to right motions.

In some examples, the system 100 may determine whether the length of thebrushing stroke. This could be by any combination of the methodsdisclosed, including by determining a magnitude of acceleration and timeof acceleration in each direction for strokes. For instance, strokes maybe filtered out by identifying a regular pattern or filtering at certainfrequencies and magnitudes. For instance, acceleration at a certainamount in certain directions with respect to the toothbrush will likelyindicate brushing strokes.

Most brushing will take place in the plane of the bristles, because thestrokes will be optimized for contact with the tips of the bristles withthe teeth using brushing motion. Accordingly, the system may filter outacceleration in the plane of the bristles, or within a suitabletolerance, to further identify acceleration or movement that relates tobrushing strokes.

The system 100 may determine if these motions are being performed therelative amount of these motions by filtering the data from motionsensors 11 or optical sensors 9 in certain axes that is indicative ofeach motion. For example, the data from motions sensors 11 or opticalsensors 9 may be filtered in an axis horizontal to gravity, and thecontrol system 13 or other system 100 processors may process the data todetermine whether the acceleration, frequency, or other motion datareached a significant enough amplitude in a certain direction toindicate that particular motion is performed.

In the case of image data, in addition to detecting thresholds ofacceleration or velocity that indicate brushing, the optical system maydetect when the oral hygiene device 1 is within a certain proximity tothe user's mouth, or inside the user's mouth to determine brushing isinitiated. For instance, if the head can be identified, whenever thehead is inside a region defined as being inside the user's mouth thesystem can determine that the user is brushing his or her teeth quitereliably.

In other examples, acceleration alone may be utilized to determinewhether back and forth motions are being used, or circular motions. Inother embodiments, the acceleration data from motion sensors 11 may beintegrated to determine the actual movement of the oral hygiene device 1to evaluate the type of brush strokes utilized. The analysis of the datamay also be affected by whether the oral hygiene device 1 includes anelectronic motor to vibrate the head to assist in brushing. In thoseembodiments, the data may be filtered to eliminate the high frequencyacceleration and other noise created by the electronic motor.

In some embodiments, an electronic motor to vibrate the head 42 may beincluded in the oral hygiene device 1. In those embodiments, the motiondata recorded by the sensors relating to brushing movements would have asmaller amplitude than for a manual brush. This is because users ofmanual toothbrushes, without the assistance from the electronic motorand moving head 42, will brush their teeth with more vigorous motions.Accordingly, the algorithms utilized to analyze the motion data todetect, use, motion, and location of oral hygiene device will bemodified to account for the lower amplitudes and/or different motions,and include filtering of the high frequency noise from the motor.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the thresholds set for the amplituderequired to detect or indicate a brush stroke would be less, as a userusing an electronic oral hygiene device generally moves the brush at aslower pace, and makes more straight line movements.

Furthermore, pressure sensor 10 may also be utilized to determinewhether brushing is actually being performed, or in combination with themotion data from above. For instance, the user may be moving the oralhygiene device 1 around but not pressing on the teeth. Therefore,accordingly, requiring both motion of a certain frequency, amplitude, orfeatures, and a certain pressure will eliminate many false positivesfrom incidental movement or pressure of the brush that is not happeningduring brushing. Accordingly, the pressure sensor 10 may output a signalthat is analyzed 78 by controller 28 to determine a pressure beingapplied to the teeth. If the pressure is above a certain threshold, thesystem 100 may indicate or determine it is likely that a user isbrushing. This analysis may be performed by statistical analysis,threshold analysis or other suitable calculation methods for determininga likelihood of brushing based on the amount and/or sustained nature ofthe pressure recorded by pressure sensor 10.

In some examples, the system 100 and oral hygiene device 1 may develop alibrary of specific types of brushing strokes or motions, and give theuser feedback on the brushing strokes or motion the user implemented fortheir brushing. For instance, the system may retain a dictionary ofmotion types for tooth-brushing, and rank the motion types, and thequality of each motion type.

Examples of motion types may be the following:

Type Motion Algorithm Examples Quality Horizontal Brush along line ofAcceleration in plane Not good: Scrub dentition in horizontal ofbristles and in one Causes strokes. Bristles axis switching positiveCervical horizontal. and negative. Bristle Abrasion axis facingperpendicular to gravity. Machine learning. Sulcular Place brush tip at45 Bristle axis facing Very good: Brushing degrees and place tips about45 degrees to removes of bristles in gingival gravity. Accelerationplaque sulcus. Vibrate back in plane of bristles and below and forthwith very in one axis switching the small strokes. positive andnegative. gingival Very small movements. margin. Machine learning.Circular Move brush in a Continuously changing Least circular motion.acceleration in the effective plane of thebristles. brushing Machinelearning. technique.Identification of Specific Users

The system 100 may include a stored user profile associated with theuser's stored tooth brushing (or other oral hygiene) data and thedemographic data of the user that includes the age, size and gender ofthe user. During or after the step of monitoring oral hygiene (e.g.tooth-brushing) activities, the oral hygiene device 1, mobile device 30,or server may automatically seek to match the user with at least oneuser profile using at least one predetermined rule or algorithmdepending on the user profile and of past data. If the user is not aregular user of the oral hygiene device, said user identifies him/her asa guest on the mobile device.

In a step of user identification, a specific user may be associated withthe oral hygiene device and presumed to be the user. If multiple usersfor a given oral hygiene device are utilized, to associate a user with abrushing activity at least in the oral hygiene device and possibly inthe mobile device and/or the server at least for reference purposes forthose last two.

In embodiments that utilize a camera, the user profile may have apicture of the user uploaded or associated with the profile. This willallow the visual based recognition system to automatically determine aspecific user associated with the profile. In some examples, the system100 may capture a picture with the camera, and identify the specificuser by comparing the picture taken initially with each user thatinitiates brushing. In some examples, the system may utilize theposition of the user on the frame of the camera to determine the user(e.g. by estimating the user's height or relative height). In otherexamples, the system 100 may utilize machine learning and computervision principles to match features of the user and determine whichsaved user (and associated user profile) is currently brushing. Forinstance, eye color or other facial recognition techniques may beutilized to match users on a reliable basis, especially if each unitonly has 2, 3 or 4 users total to distinguish.

In other examples, use data associated with a particular user may beutilized to identify that user. For instance, the usage data for aparticular user may be associated with a certain acceleration leveland/or frequency that is characteristic of that user. For instance, aparticular user may have a certain frequency range of tooth-brushing, ormay begin on a particular side of the mouth. In some examples,combinations of physical features, motion data, or other indicators maybe utilized to identify users and associate the user with their profiledata.

Brushing Time and Position

Next, the brushing data recorded above may be analyzed 78 to providefeedback on the positional and time quality of brushing 80. This may bepresented after brushing has completed or in real time to provideinstantaneous feedback to the user. For example, the motion sensors 11and/or optical sensors 9 may detect positional information of the oralhygiene device 1. Using the accelerometer and gyrometer data, visuallydetected data from the optical sensors 9 and patterns 120 or othermotion sensors 11, the position, orientation, and movement of the oralhygiene device 1 may be determined and extrapolated to calculate therelative positional movement of the head 42. For instance, if thedistance, orientation, and direction of the motion sensors 11 to thebristle portion of the head 42 are known, the system 11 will be able todetermine the position of the head 42, and its relative motion,orientation, and coverage area based on the relative motion of themotion sensors 11.

This may be calculated by initially calculating a reference coordinateone the oral hygiene device 1 detects motion, and recording the relativemovement with respect to the initial coordinate(s) to determine asignature of the brushing. This may be performed by calculating themovement of the head 42 by calculating the changes in orientation of thebrush and the movement due to acceleration recorded by the gyrometer oraccelerometer, or visually detected by the optical sensors 9. Thesecalculations may be performed by the control system 13, or otherprocessors that are utilized in the system 100, including a mobile phoneprocessor executing an application on the mobile phone, or aprocessor(s) on a server running software for analyzing the data.

Brushing Time and Position—Magnetometer

In some embodiments, a magnetometer sensor 11 may provide additionalpositional information by detecting the polarity, a directional vectorand strength of the earth's magnetic field and/or the magnetic fieldgenerated by a magnetic field transmitter 110. In some embodiments, thismay be a magnetic field transmitter 110 located in the base station 2,as the base station 2 is stationary, and the magnetic field transmitter110 would have a known polarity and direction (e.g., horizontal orvertical and in a certain direction). This may be detected by amagnetometer 11 located in an oral hygiene device 1. Accordingly, thestrength of the magnetic field detected by the magnetometer sensor 11will give an estimate of the distance the oral hygiene device 1 is fromthe base station 2 along a sphere or oval curve or egg shaped curverepresenting the magnetic field lines surrounding the base station 2 orother associated device.

Additionally, the magnetometer will be able to sense the vectordirection of the magnetic field along the magnetic field lines. In otherembodiments, the distance of the oral hygiene device 1 from the basestation 2 may be calculated using: the magnetic field orientationdetected by the magnetometer sensor 11 emitted from the magnetic fieldtransmitter 110 together with the attitude information of theaccelerometer and gyrometer. This is possible utilizing the knowledge ofthe shape of the magnetic field and its vectors at particular distancesfrom the transmitter and its polarity. For example, the inclination ofthe magnetic field with respect to gravity will change predictably atvarious distances from the magnetic field transmitter for example.Additionally, by comparing the gravity vector with the vector of themagnetic field, the angle may be utilized to calculate the height alongthe shell or magnetic field lines. This is because the angle of thefield with respect to gravity will be different at each height becausethe egg shell will be directed at a different angle with respect togravity at each height. This will be especially true when the north andsouth poles are oriented in a vertical direction, so that the magneticfield lines have components that change from horizontal near the bottomand top of the egg shells to vertical at about the height of thetransmitter.

Accordingly, the magnetometer data combined with the accelerometer dataand/or optical data may be utilized to determine position of an oralhygiene device 1 within a ring that is situated in a horizontal planethat is of equal magnetic field strength around the transmitter 110. Forexample, FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a base station 2, with asingle coil magnetic field transmitter 110 that generates shells thathave slices with B (magnetic) field vectors that change direction in avertical plane. Sensors 11 on the oral hygiene device 1 may include amagnetic field sensor 11 to detect the magnetic field generated by themagnetic field transmitters 110 and an accelerometer 11 to detect, amongother accelerations, the acceleration of gravity a_(g). Accordingly, themagnetometer 11 on the oral hygiene device 1 may be positioned with theB field generated by the transmitter 110. Accordingly, a magnetic fieldstrength and direction (B_(t)) may be determined by the magnetometer 11.Simultaneously, an accelerometer 11 may detect the acceleration fromgravity as vector a_(g). The system 100 may the analyze that data, anddetermine an Q° between the gravity vector a_(g) and magnetic fieldvector B_(t).

The angle Q° may then be able to be used to determine a ring R whereinthe oral hygiene device 1 position is known to be at some point alongring R. For instance, first, the strength of the magnetic field Bdetected by the magnetometer 11 can be utilized to determine whichmagnetic field egg or donut shaped shell the oral hygiene device is on(e.g., B₁, B₂, or B₃). This would narrow the position of the oralhygiene device 1 down to a hollow shell or donut surround thetransmitter 110. Next, Q° can be unitized to calculate a verticalposition on the shell or donut and therefore narrow the position down aring R surrounding the transmitter 110. Accordingly, if the system 100detects movement to a new ring R, the system will have information aboutthe possible direction and distances travelled. This information will beenhanced by the accelerometer data, which will provide furtherinformation about the direction travelled. This, for example, mayprovide certain upper or lower bounds of direction and/or distancetravelled by the oral hygiene device 1. Thus, this system 100 and dataprocessing technique may be utilized to provide relative position andmovement information of the oral hygiene device 1 and applied todetermine tooth brushing position in the mouth as described herein.

In some embodiments, a magnetometer sensor 11 may sense a magnetic fieldtransmitted by a magnetic field transmitter 110. In order to do this,this magnetic field data must be filtered out from extraneous noise andespecially from the earth's magnetic field. The earth's magnetic fieldwill be of relatively constant strength and direction at a givenlocation on the scale of movement of a toothbrush. Additionally, theearth's magnetic field is quite large and most magnetometers arecalibrated to the scale of the earth's magnetic field. Accordingly, touse a magnetometer calibrated for the earth's magnetic field, forinstance, in embodiments that detect both the magnetic field of theearth and of the transmitters 110 to calculate orientation and positionchanges, certain filtering algorithms must be used to distinguish thetwo. In some embodiments, the critical data that may be utilized tofilter the two is that the strength of the earth's magnetic fieldremains relatively constant on the scale of oral hygiene devicemovement, compared to the change in magnetic field detected that istransmitted by the magnetic field transmitter 110. Therefore, temporalfilters may be applied to distinguish the two magnetic fields. In someembodiments, the magnetic field transmitted by transmitter 110 may bepulsed at a certain frequency or amplitude in order to be easilyfiltered out using signal processing and data analysis.

In some embodiments, the magnetic field directional component of thevector data output from the magnetometer 11 may also be utilized tocalculate a relative position change and/or orientation. For example, insome embodiments, the transmitter 110 may transmit a magnetic field witha vector orientation illustrated in FIG. 5 . Directional or vectorinformation detected by a magnetometer from a magnetic field B createdby transmitter 110 may be useful to provide orientation and or relativepositional information. This data may then be combined with data fromthe directional vector information detected from the earth's magneticfield which would likely have an orientation that differs from theorientation of the earth's magnetic field. Accordingly, the magnetometer11 may detect vectors indicating the direction of the earth's magneticfield and the vectors of the magnetic field of the transmitter 110 toprovide a reference for orientation in space and for changes inposition.

In one example, the magnetometer sensing the earth's magnetic fieldcould sense an orientation of the oral hygiene device 1 in a horizontalplane as would a compass or about the Z axis illustrated in FIG. 5 . Insome embodiments, this may include a vector not only in the horizontaldirection but in the vertical direction that will be constant and basedon the inclination of the earth's magnetic field at a particulargeographic location. In other embodiments the transmitter 110 may beplaced in a diagonal, horizontal, vertical or other known orientationwhich is used as a reference point to calculate orientation of themagnetometer 11 and positional changes of the magnetometer 11 and oralhygiene device 1.

Furthermore, calibration may be necessary based on the relativeorientation of the oral hygiene device 1 when being used by a user andthe base station's magnetic field transmitter 110. As the shape andorientation of magnetic field lines change based on the position withrespect to the magnetic field generator, different formulas,calibrations, or adjustments may need to be performed. For example, nearthe side of a magnetic field generator, the flux lines may be orientedin a first direction; however, near either polar end of the transmitter110 (e.g., above or below, or the right or left side) the flux lines maybe oriented perpendicular to the first direction near the side or middleof the transmitter 110. Additionally, the user may be required to brushher teeth a certain distance from the transmitter 110 to ensure a propermagnetic field for measuring is generated in that position. Thebeneficial aspect of the coils being physically oriented in the verticaldirection is that the magnetic field generated is relatively the same onall sides of the transmitter 110 (and by proxy, the base station 2)assuming relatively the same height, and therefore calibration mayrequire simpler algorithms and/or processes. However, if the coils liein a horizontal plane, depending on the orientation of the base station2, the magnetic flux lines may be traveling in different directions. Inthat embodiment, the user may be instructed to swivel the base station 2to point it in a certain direction with respect to the user where theuser typically brushes their teeth. In other embodiments, thecalibration may be able to utilize or accommodate for changes in thevector direction of the magnetic field transmitted by the transmitter110.

The data from a magnetometer 11 may be combined with the data outputfrom an accelerometer 11 or data from the gyrometer 11 and accelerometer11 or optical sensor/camera 9 to determine orientation and/or position.For example, the accelerometer 11 and/or optical sensor/camera 9 datamay first be utilized to determine the orientation of the oral hygienedevice 1 with respect to gravity during periods of relatively littleacceleration, so the acceleration of gravity would be detected by athree axis accelerometer or image analysis so it could be determinedwhether the oral hygiene device 1 is tilted about a lateral axis that isin a horizontal plane, or how it is rotated about a its longitudinalaxis (a longitudinal axis running lengthwise through the toothbrush)with respect to a gravity pointing down towards the earth.

If the accelerometer data indicates the oral hygiene device 1 isexperiencing relatively small amounts of acceleration relative to normaltooth brushing movements, the control system may determine that the oralhygiene device 1 is relatively still and the accelerometer data can beutilized to determine a vector oriented in the direction of gravity.

If the accelerometer data is combined with the gyrometer data,deviations of the attitude of the tooth brush with respect to gravitycan be determined to calculate the attitude of the toothbrush. Forexample, the initial recording of the gravity vector may then be used asa reference vector to determine attitude. Then deviations from thisinitial position or attitude determined by the accelerometer andgyrometer may be determined by calculating orientation changes from theinitial reference vector based on gyrometer data. Accordingly, theaccelerometer or accelerometer and gyrometer data may be utilized todetermine which way the bristles are facing. For example, in someembodiments, the accelerometer and gyrometer data may be analyzed todetermine whether the bristles are facing upward forwards or downwards,front, left and right side, potentially narrowing down to a specificquadrant or other division of the mouth. For example, when the oralhygiene device 1 bristles are facing down, they could only be brushingthe tops of the bottom teeth. If the oral hygiene device 1 bristles arefacing up, it could only be brushing the crowns or tips of the upperteeth. As a further example, when the oral hygiene device 1 is facingright, it could only be brushing the left sides of the molars, etc.Additionally, in some embodiments, the orientations with respect togravity will be deterministic as a vector representing gravity alwayspoints in the direction towards the floor or earth, and brushing willvery likely take place standing up straight.

Therefore, it is possible to determine the orientation of the bristleswith respect to the teeth in some aspects or planes of orientation. Incertain embodiments, these calculations may be made deterministically,or estimated using statistics and/or a retrofitted model of the mouth.For example, if the accelerometer senses the toothbrush's bristles arefacing down within a certain margin of error or within a statisticallysignificant margin, then the system can determine that the surfacesbeing brushed are likely the tops of the lower teeth (or the tongue forexample). In other embodiments, as disclosed herein, the brushingorientations may be calculated relative to each other, so a model of themouth may be fit each time the user brushes their teeth.

To determine the orientation in a horizontal plane perpendicular togravity, the earth's magnetic field or the magnetic field generated bythe base station 2 transmitter 110 for example, may be utilized. In someembodiments, the magnetic field transmitter 110 will generate a magneticfield with directional vectors that change direction in a horizontalplane that is perpendicular to gravity. Accordingly, even if theabsolute direction is not known, a relative orientation of the oralhygiene device 1 with respect to the magnetic field detected by themagnetometer 11 and emitted by the transmitter 110 may be determined ina horizontal plane. Accordingly, relative changes of this orientation ina horizontal plane could be determined and a path of movement along areference coordinate system may be determined. In some embodiments, thereference coordinate system may be based on one of the initial or anyother data points recorded during a tooth brushing session. As disclosedherein, these relative changes may be utilized to calculate thepositions or reconstruct the shape by using relative positions after auser is finished brushing.

In some embodiments, data from the gyrometer, magnetometer, opticalsensor and accelerometer may be utilized to determine an orientationwith respect to gravity and either or both magnetic field of the earthand of the transmitters 110. In some embodiments, orientation may bedetermined and confirmed or validated by the different sensors 11 oroptical sensors 9. For example, the angular velocity from a gyrometermay be integrated to determine orientation changes in certaindirections, but errors from integration may be corrected using themagnetometer readings and/or optical sensor/camera 9 data. In otherembodiments, either or both the magnetometer, gyrometer andmagnetometers may be utilized in various combinations to determineorientations.

In some embodiments, orientation alone may be utilized to determine theposition of the oral hygiene device 1 using statistical analysis asdisclosed herein. In other embodiments, the gyrometer and/oraccelerometer detected inertial changes may be used in conjunction withor separate from magnetometer 11 readings to be provide furtherindications of movement or distance to calculate an estimated positionof the oral hygiene device 1 bristles. In some embodiments, theorientation information may be combined with data output from sensors 11or optical sensors 9 that indicate translational inertia, or positionalchanges. Depending on the location of the inertial sensor, theorientation information may be combined with the inertial movement datato indicate the position of the bristles. For instance, if a motionsensor 11 is located inside the oral hygiene device 1, but in the middleof the toothbrush's longitudinal axis where the user would hold the oralhygiene device 1, changes in orientation would move the head withoutmoving the position (although it may rotate in place) of the motionsensor 11. Accordingly, the orientation information can also be used tocalculate a position in space of the bristles relative to the positionof sensor 11.

Movement or positional changes may also be calculated from data outputby the magnetometer 11. In some embodiments, the magnetometer 11 maydetect a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field transmitter 110 inthe base station 2 or another stationary component that is separate fromthe oral hygiene device 1. In this embodiment, the strength andorientation of the magnetic field sensed by a single-, two-, orthree-axis magnetometer 11 can provide additional data on the positionalmovement of the oral hygiene device 1 with respect to the magnetic fieldtransmitter 110 in the base station 2, which is fixed and stationary.Accordingly, the increase or decrease in magnetic field will indicatethat the oral hygiene device 1 is moving towards or away from the basestation 2. Additionally, changes in the orientation or inclination ofthe magnetic field and its polarity output by the magnetometer 11 can beutilized to determine translational and position. This information maybe utilized to determine, based on calibration or experimental data, howmuch a per unit change in magnetic field strength is equivalent to indistance based on the direction of movement (as different directionsthrough a magnetic field will have higher or lower rates of change). Inother embodiments, the per unit change in inclination or shape of themagnetic field may also be correlated to changes in position. Therespective orientation of a horizontal magnetic field may be differenteach time a oral hygiene device system as disclosed herein is set up,including such a system that incorporates a magnetometer in the basestation 2. This is because how each user stands as they are brushingtheir teeth, and/or how the base station 2 is oriented on the top of thecounter may change for each user and even change somewhat each time andafter cleaning the countertop, etc. Accordingly, adaptive statisticalanalysis may be utilized to determine relative positions of the bristlesof the oral hygiene device 1.

Positional data calculated from magnetic field data output from amagnetometer 11 may be combined with inertial data to calculatepositional changes in the oral hygiene device 1. In some embodiments,the inertial data may be utilized to calculate distance traveled and themagnetometer data may also be utilized to eliminate errors, and/orprovide bounds to the calculations for positional changes based on theinertia data. For example, the changes in magnetic field strength mayhave a certain minimum lower bound limit assuming travel directlyperpendicular to the magnetic field lines where they are mostcompressed. Given a certain change in magnetic field strength, it couldbe determined that the magnetometer had at least travelled a certainEuclidean distance in space (or changed a certain angular orientation).These changes in inclination and field strength may be utilized todetermine distance changes within certain margins of error that may besupplemented or fine-tuned according to accelerometer or gyrometer data.This data could be combined with orientation and inertial data todetermine a more precise distance travelled and relative directionaltravel of the oral hygiene device 1.

Brushing Time and Position—Visual Pattern Recognition

An optical sensor/camera 9 and pattern 120 recognition system may beutilized, in some embodiments, to track the movement of the oral hygienedevice 1. For instance, as described above, the oral hygiene device 1may contain patterns 120 on the handle 40 or head 42 that can berecognized by a visual tracking system. The visual tracking system maybe able to recognize the orientation, distance and position of a pattern120 that is on the oral hygiene device 1. For example, in someembodiments, the pattern 120 may be both on the head 42 and a separatepattern 120 may be on the handle 40 to allow the system to determine theposition of both the handle 40 and the head 42 of the oral hygienedevice 1 to assist in determining the orientation and movement. Visualpattern recognitions have been utilized to detect the movement andorientation of markers, such as for example the system described in“Towards Positioning through Visual Markers,” by Bernhard L. Ecklbauer,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.For instance, image processing software may identify the boundaries ofthe oral hygiene device by standard boundary image identifiers, identifyobjects the appropriate dimensions and size for a toothbrush, and thenattempt to determine an orientation of the oral hygiene device (ordetermine an orientation of the pattern 120 and the oral hygiene devicerespectively).

In some embodiments, the visual pattern recognition system may also beutilized to determine the position and orientation of the human face.This will be useful to compare the relative position and orientation ofthe face and/or mouth and the oral hygiene device 1 in order todetermine the position of the oral hygiene device with respect to themouth. In some embodiments, the system may first acquire an image withthe oral hygiene device 1 at the same distance from an opticalsensor/camera 9 as a human face. Additionally, an initial calibrationusing the orientation and size of the face may be utilized to calibratethe distance from the camera 9 to the oral hygiene device 1, so size andmovement can be estimated. In some embodiments, since the size of theoral hygiene device 1 is known, the relative size of the face using theoral hygiene device 1 could be determined, to calibrate or estimate thejaw shape and size and modify the algorithms utilized to determine whichzone is being brushed.

For instance, the system could determine whether the oral hygiene device1 is in or near the mouth if the system can be utilized to determine theposition and orientation of the face. This will help the system validateand confirm when usage starts and stops, as the oral hygiene device 1would only be near the mouth of the user is actually using it. Rarelywould a user hold the brush near the mouth when they are not actuallybrushing their teeth. Rather, a user generally immediately washes itoff/puts down the oral hygiene device after they finish brushing.

Accordingly, the data detected by the camera can be evaluated todetermine the position, movement and orientation of an oral hygienedevice 1. For example, an oral hygiene device 1 may have a code “AB”with a circle and line as illustrated in FIG. 6 either on the back ofthe head 42, or on the handle 40, or both. In some embodiments, thepattern 120 could be any other pattern 120 that has a distinctorientation as described herein. The camera 9 may detect the pattern andthe data may be retrieved for processing and analysis. For example, thevisual data detected by the camera may be output and a processor mayevaluate the data to determine the orientation and size of the pattern120 and the relative sizes of certain parts of the pattern 120.

For instance, if the pattern is AB and it is oriented as pictured on theback of the head 42 of the oral hygiene device 1 and the data analysisdetermines that the AB is oriented upright, then it is likely that theuser is not brushing their teeth. This is because this will mean theoral hygiene device 1 itself is upright (as pictured in FIG. 6 ) whichwould be a highly unlikely position for a user to hold an oral hygienedevice 1 to brush their teeth. Rather, the longitudinal axis of an oralhygiene device 1 will generally be held in a horizontal plane duringtooth brushing. However, if the camera 9 detects data that indicates theAB on the head of the oral hygiene device 1 is sideways, it likely meanstwo things: (1) the oral hygiene device 1 is positioned that the back ofthe head 42 of the oral hygiene device 1 is facing the user because theAB is actually visible to the camera 9 and (2) the oral hygiene device 1is horizontal because the AB is oriented on its side. This, forinstance, would provide a high likelihood that the oral hygiene device 1was brushing the front incisors. This is because the camera 9 isgenerally positioned so that the user is facing the camera 9 as theybrush their teeth. Accordingly, if the AB is visible to the camera 9 andlying on its side, then the oral hygiene device 1 must be oriented withthe bristles facing the mouth (to brush the front surfaces) and brushingthe front teeth (rather than the sides) because the AB is still visibleto the front facing camera 9.

In many oral hygiene device 1 positions, however, the head 42 of theoral hygiene device 1 and any associated pattern 120 may not be visibleto the camera 9. For instance, when brushing the molars, tongue, top orbottom surfaces of the teeth, a pattern 120 on the back of the head 42would not be visible. Accordingly, in some embodiments, an additionalpattern(s) 120 could be included on an attachment 130 on the end of theoral hygiene device 1. This would allow the camera 9 to detect theorientation of the pattern 120 on the attachment 130 and/or handle 40while the oral hygiene device 1 is in inserted inside the user's mouth.For instance, in some embodiments, the attachment 130 may be a sphericalshaped bulb on the bottom of the handle 40 of the oral hygiene device 1,and would include several different patterns in different positionsaround the sphere.

This would allow the camera to detect the position and orientation ofseveral different patterns. Upon visually detecting a pattern, thesystem could determine (1) which pattern 120 is being detected, (2) thesize of the pattern 120, (3) the orientation of the pattern 120, (4) therelative size of different components of the pattern 120, (5) othercharacteristics of the pattern 120. This information could be downloadedand compared to existing data regarding the types and orientation ofpatterns 120 that are placed on the attachment 130 (and/or handle 40 orhead 42 of the oral hygiene device 1). For example, the system mayinclude a database that stores each of the different patterns 120 anddifferent size and orientation information with respect to the pattern120 in relation to the oral hygiene device 1 and distance from thecamera 9. For example, each pattern 120 may include information about ifit is found in an upright orientation, then the oral hygiene device ison its side, pointed in the mouth, etc. In other embodiments, the sizeof the pattern 120 detected may be equated to the distance of the oralhygiene device 1 from the camera 9, assuming a set distance. In someembodiments, calibration information may be further added to enhance thesystems analysis of brushing data for a particular individual and/or aparticular bathroom. Therefore, each pattern 120 may have a pixel numberassociated with each component (e.g., height/width of certain features)that may be associated with a certain distance from the camera 9. Thismay be an approximate or average, or use statistics to find thedistance/orientation of the highest probability.

Then, once this pattern information is determined, it could be comparedto calibration information or other data representing the patterns 120and respective orientations that are included on the attachment 130 forexample. If for example, an AB pattern 120 is included on the attachment130 as illustrated in FIG. 6 , with an upright orientation and facingforward in the same direction as the bristles, the if this pattern isdetected upright, it is unlikely the user is brushing their teeth.However, again, if this pattern 120 is detected with a sidewaysorientation, it is likely the user is brushing their front molars. Inanother example, if another pattern, BC is placed on the bottom of thetoothbrush, when the system detects that pattern, it is likely that theoral hygiene device is being used to clean the molars. Accordingly, theorientation of the BC could then be used to determine whether it islikely the user is cleaning the tops, bottoms, or sides of the molars.In some embodiments, this could be combined with accelerometer andgyrometer data to determine which side of the mouth is being brushed.

In still another embodiment, the system may be able to determine theposition of the oral hygiene device (without a pattern) with respect tothe face, including the vector direction of its longitudinal axis.Accordingly, the system could then determine whether the oral hygienedevice is likely on the left or right side of the mouth. This could bedone using the visual recognition system as disclosed herein. In otherembodiments, the system could determine the position and orientation ofthe mouth and oral hygiene device with respect to each other. Forinstance, a mouth recognition algorithm could be used to approximate theposition of each of the corners or sides of the mouth. Additionally,there could be visual markers on the neck of the oral hygiene device 1to help the system determine which side of the mouth is being brushedwhen the user has the oral hygiene device inside the mouth.

No Pattern on Toothbrush

As illustrate in FIG. 7 and in some embodiments, the system may onlydetect the outline of the oral hygiene device 1 handle to determine anorientation of the longitudinal axis with respect to gravity withwithout utilizing a pattern 120, or markings. In other embodiments, thesystem may have additional image processing software to identifyspecific features of the oral hygiene device including the head(bristles, etc.) by utilizing classification algorithms to classifycertain portions of the image. In some embodiments, the image processingsoftware identifies the longitudinal axis, the head, the base andpotentially the bristles. From this information, the orientation andposition of the oral hygiene device may be determined. In someembodiments, the user and the mouth of the user may be identifiedutilizing similar boundary detection/shape classification software.Accordingly, the relative position of the oral hygiene device withrespect to the mouth may be determined, as explained further herein.

The inventors may utilize this system so that a customized oral hygienedevice is not necessary, and only a chip would need to be providedinside the oral hygiene device that includes motion sensors 11.Accordingly, the device could be manufactured utilizing an existing oralhygiene device designs and only implementing a chip or controller 13system that includes a motion sensor 11, antenna 5 or other wirelessconnectivity, and a memory. Then the device could send all of the datato a connected smartphone or other connected device 30 (e.g. smartmirror, etc.)

Combining Visual and Motion Data for Position Determination

The visual data may also be used to determine acceleration and thevector or direction of motion of the oral hygiene device 1 as it isbrushing the teeth. The visual data may capture the different positionsand time stamp the data to determine the amount of time recorded totravel for a first point to a second point and therefore the resultantvelocity (direction and speed) and acceleration. As described herein thepositional data may be utilized to calculate brushing positions. Thiscombined with the orientation data will be able to provide enoughpositional and orientation data to determine the position in a user'smouth and the section of the mouth that is being brushed as describedherein.

For instance, in some embodiments, the visual information from patternrecognitions or brush outlines may be utilized to recalibrate or theposition output from the accelerometer/magnetometer/gyrometer positiondetermination. In these embodiments, the visual data may be utilized torecalibrate the drift experienced by the position sensors to bring themback to a reference coordinate system. In other embodiments, the visualdata may be utilized to recalibrate the entire statistical model used todetermine position.

In some embodiments, position may be independently determined frommotion/acceleration/position sensors, and independently determined fromvisual recognition data. These two determinations may then be utilizedto determine a final position with respect to the mouth. In otherembodiments, just the visual recognition data alone may be utilized tocalculate position with respect to the mouth.

For instance, a first example would a setup with no visual pattern 120added to the oral hygiene device 1. Using data output from the motionsensor(s) 11 only, it may be challenging to distinguish, in somesituations, which side of the mouth the oral hygiene device 1 is on whenthe oral hygiene device is oriented in the same direction but could bebrushing different sections of teeth. For instance, its orientationabout an axis is identical or near identical, but its position on oneside of the face, is on the left or the right side of the mouth.

For example, an ambiguous determination could be: is the user brushingthe outer face of the teeth on the left side of the mouth, or is theuser brushing the inner face of the teeth on the right side of themouth? Even with no additional visual pattern 120, with visualinformation of the oral hygiene device and the user's face alone thesystem can make a distinction between left and right. So, thecombination of algorithms in this case is beneficial in that inertialdata is known to be insufficient to establish a relative spatialposition on a coordinate system surrounding the head. Thus, the visualinformation can be utilized to make a secondary determination of whichside of the head the brush is on, and therefore, the visual informationand the orientation information (about an axis or point or with respectto gravity) can be combined to determine which side of the head the oralhygiene device 1 is on and whether (for example the inner or outer faceof the teeth are being brushed).

Another example may include an embodiment with a pattern 120 attached tothe oral hygiene device 1. For instance, a pattern 120 could be added tothe bottom of the oral hygiene device 1 and to the back of the oralhygiene device 1 head. With a pattern 120 however, there may bepositions of the oral hygiene device 1 in which visual information alonewould not be enough to determine the location and orientation of theoral hygiene device 1 with enough accuracy. For example, when the visualtags are partially hidden, or too small in the image resolution to beaccurately detected in size and orientation.

For example, if a user is brushing the molars, and the only visiblepattern 120 is on the oral hygiene device 1 bottom, and the resolutionsis low (e.g., because the user is a bit too far from the camera device,or because the user is using a camera that has insufficient resolution)then the system may not be able to determine with enough accuracy theangle with which the oral hygiene device 1 is on the teeth. Therefore,the system could not determine whether the user is brushing the outsideof the molars of the upper jaw or the outside of the molars on the lowerjaw.

In this case, the angle difference (e.g. the angle of the longitudinalaxis of the oral hygiene device with respect to gravity because you holdthe oral hygiene device at a slightly different angle when brushing thetop or bottom molars) may be quite subtle between those two brushingpositions. However, the motion data (especially acceleration andvertical orientation) may be able to disambiguate the two potentialpositions narrowed down by the visual data and hence provide thenecessary information to if the oral hygiene device 1 is brushing theupper or lower jaw. Accordingly, the visual data alone can besupplemented with the motion data to determine the position or sectionof teeth that are brushed.

Brushing Time and Position—Analysis of Motion Data

In order to utilize the data from the sensors to estimate the amount oftime spent in each section, quadrant or other logical division of themouth, the user may need to calibrate the oral hygiene device 1. In someembodiments, calibration may take place at the factory, by the user orboth. Accordingly, calibration could be utilized to calibrate aspecifically manufactured unit, and to adapt to a particular user'sgeography, anatomy (i.e. height) and/or bathroom environment, which forexample, may include unique magnetic interferences unique heights andorientations (tabletops may not be level, etc.). For example, in someembodiments, the user may apply a colored gel to their teeth. The usercan then turn the oral hygiene device 1 in calibration mode once theoral hygiene device 1 is in position in by the teeth and brush away allof the colored gel, while the motion sensors 11, optical sensor(s) 9 andother sensors are recording data.

At this point, the user may switch off calibration to stop theacquisition of calibration data. In other embodiments, once the userturns on the calibration function, the oral hygiene device 1 woulddetect the points in time when the user has started and stoppedbrushing, including any pauses in the brushing. This calibrationprocedure provides reference positional, orientation, and motioncalibration data that can then be compared to subsequent brushes usingstatistical analysis 78, or other analysis methods to determine whethersubsequent brushes have brushed all regions of the mouth for sufficienttime.

Once the device is calibrated, or using reference data from previousbrushing or and other model users brushing, brushing data from eachusage may be compared to reference data to evaluate its quality 78 anddetermine the position of the oral hygiene device 1 in the newlyacquired data. For instance, the calibration data may be utilized toprepare a statistical model of the shape and dimensions of a specificuser's mouth and be used to create certain statistical boundaries fordetermining when the oral hygiene device 1 is brushing any certainsection of the user's mouth. Then, once a user initiates brushing asecond time, the newly recorded data could then be overlaid orcorrelated with the calibration brushing data associated with that userprofile 60, to determine whether and where there were any deficienciesin the brushing. For instance, the system 100 may determine how muchtime is spent brushing each quadrant, how many strokes, or perform otherevaluations of the brushing. Additionally, the analysis may indicatethat a user brushed too much in certain areas or did not use the correctstroke patterns generally or in specific sections of the user's mouth.

The correlation may be performed by statistical analysis, for example, aquantitative comparison of such differences can be made simply bymeasuring the Euclidean distance in the 3xz space. Such vectors may thenbe treated by using a statistical analysis, including principalcomponent analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA),regression analysis, and linear discriminant analysis. Statisticalmethods suitable for high dimensionality data may be utilized. As anexample, HCA systematically examines the distance between the data thatrepresent each type of motion or positional data. A dendrogram can thenbe generated that shows the clustering of the data from the Euclideandistances between and among the data vectors, much like an ancestraltree.

Each statistical data cluster may be representative of sensor data foreach section, quadrant or other logical division of the user's mouth.For example, the mouth may be divided into, top and bottom, with top andbottom each having a right front and left portion, and each of theright, front and left portions, having an inside, top, and outside face.Accordingly, the mouth may have 36 different sections, 10 sections, 8sections, 12 sections, or 4 sections (quadrants), top and bottom only,outer and inner only, and other logical divisions. Accordingly, usingreference data, the controller 13, or other processors in the system 100(e.g., processors in the mobile phone or servers), may calculate theconfidence interval or other value indicating the likelihood the oralhygiene device is brushing a specific section of the user's mouth, butdetermine the likelihood the strokes correlate or relate to thecalibration data in those sections. In order to acquire a referenceposition, the user may be instructed to initiate brushing at anidentical position of the mouth. That way, the data starts at a knownposition and can use that as a reference point to relate the rest of thedata using statistical analysis. For instance, the angle, orientation,calculated distance and other features from the reference position ofthe oral hygiene device 1 detected by the motion sensor 11 and/oroptical sensor/camera 9 may indicate the likelihood each new position iscorrelated to a certain position of the mouth based on calibration data.

In other embodiments, the control system 13 or other system processors(e.g. processors in the smartphone, servers, or other components) mayprocess the statistical data and determine that the brush is brushing acertain section of the mouth if the statistical analysis shows withgreat than 95%, 85%, 80% or other suitable certainty that the brush iswithin the section of the mouth. In some embodiments, the specificity orsensitivity of the brushing statically analysis may be modified to matcha specific user's variance.

This analysis may include an output 80 that allows the control system 13or other processors to determine which brush strokes were in eachsection of the mouth or tooth set, and therefore how much time a userspend brushing each quadrant, half or tooth, or other logical divisionof the mouth and how those times compare to recommended regimes. Inother embodiments, the time at the beginning and end of entering acertain area may be recorded, or other suitable methods to determine howmuch time is spent brushing each section of the mouth.

In some embodiments, rather than detect the position of the toothbrush,the system 100 may direct the user to brush certain sections of themouth one at a time, and only determine whether or not the user isactually brushing, and count or record brushing time only while motionindicative of brushing is detected. Then, once brushing has beenrecorded in the directed section for the prescribed time, the system 100would indicate to the user that it is time to move to the next sectionof the mouth, and elapse time when the user is actually brushing. Thisprevents the user from taking breaks and thereby brushing for less thanthe optimal amount of time in each section. Accordingly, the controlsystem 13 or other processors may analyze the data from the sensors 11(or pressure sensor 10) to record the amount of time the user wasbrushing in each section while the system 100 indicated the user shouldbe brushing in that particular section.

In other embodiments, pressure exerted on the head 42 from brushing mayalso be detected by a pressure sensor 10 incorporated into oral hygienedevice 1. For example, the pressure sensor 10 may be incorporated intothe head 42, and detect a pressure associated with usage. Additionally,the pressure may be mapped to the various positional data and thereforethe controllers 13 or other processors of the system 100 may calculatethe amount of pressure utilized for brushing each area of the mouth.

Machine Learning

In some examples, the statistical analysis utilized to implement variousfeatures disclosed in the system 100 will be a machine learning orartificial intelligent algorithm. For instance, the system 100 mayprocess the available data sources from the systems 100 sensors includedas disclosed herein, and identify a position within the mouth. In otherexamples, machine learning algorithms may be utilized to: (1) identifycavities or plaque using machine vision or other combinations of data,(2) identify position in the mouth to varying degrees of granularity,(3) identify bush stroke type using the dictionary of strokes disclosedherein, (4) identify users from motion or image data (e.g. machinevision to recognize facial features), or (5) other useful applicationsto the features described herein.

Machine learning algorithms may take a variety of forms. For instance,the system 100 may utilize more basic machine learning toolsincluding 1) decision trees (“DT”), (2) Bayesian networks (“BN”), (3)artificial neural network (“ANN”), or (4) support vector machines(“SVM”). In other examples, deep learning algorithms or other moresophisticated machine learning algorithms may be used.

DT programs are generally used because of their simplicity and ease ofunderstanding. DT are classification graphs that match input data toquestions asked at each consecutive step in a decision tree. The DTprogram moves down the “branches” of the tree based on the answers tothe questions (e.g., First branch: Is the patient male? yes or no.Branch two: Is the patient having trouble urinating? yes or no. etc.).

Bayesian networks (“BN”) are based on likelihood something is true basedon given independent variables and are modeled based on probabilisticrelationships. BN are based purely on probabilistic relationships thatdetermine the likelihood of one variable based on another or others. Forexample, BN can model the relationships between symptoms and diseases.Particularly, if a patient's symptoms or biomarkers levels are known, aBN can be used to compute the probability that a patient has aparticular disease. Thus, using an efficient BN algorithm, an inferencecan be made based on the input data. They are commonly used by themedical domain to represent reasoning under uncertain conditions for awide range of applications, including disease diagnostics, geneticcounseling, and emergency medical decision support system (MDSS) design.

Artificial neural networks (“ANN”) are computational models inspired byan animal's central nervous system. They map inputs to outputs through anetwork of nodes. However, unlike BN, in ANN the nodes do notnecessarily represent any actual variable. Accordingly, ANN may have ahidden layer of nodes that are not represented by a known variable to anobserver.

ANNs are capable of pattern recognition and have been used for themedical and diagnostics fields. Their computing methods make it easierto understand a complex and unclear process that might go on duringdiagnosis of an illness based on input data a variety of input dataincluding symptoms. While still facing steep limitations, ANN hasdemonstrated to be suitable in CDSS design and other biomedicalapplications, such as diagnosis of myocardial infarction, MDSS forleukemia management, and cancer detection.

Support vector machines (“SVM”) came about from a framework utilizing ofmachine learning statistics and vector spaces (linear algebra conceptthat signifies the number of dimensions in linear space) equipped withsome kind of limit-related structure. In some cases, they may determinea new coordinate system that easily separates inputs into twoclassifications. For example, a SVM could identify a line that separatestwo sets of points originating from different classifications of events.

They have been applied practically and are theoretically well-founded,but can sometimes be difficult to understand. SVMs have been applied toa number of biological domains, such as MDSS for the diagnosis oftuberculosis infection, tumor classification, and biomarker discovery.

However, there is a relatively new type of machine learning algorithmthat is capable of modeling very complex relationships that have a lotof variation that are called deep neural networks. Deep neural networkshave developed recently to tackle the problems of speech recognition.

In the IT industry fields, various architectures of DNN have beenproposed to tackle the problems associated with algorithms such as ANNby many researchers during the last few decades. These types of DNN areCNN (Convolutional Neural Network), RBM (Restricted Boltzmann Machine),LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) etc. They are all based on the theory ofANN. They demonstrate a better performance by overcoming theback-propagation error diminishing problem associated with ANN.

Machine Learning—Training Data

Machine learning algorithms require training data to identify thefeatures of interest that they are designed to detect. For instance,various methods may be utilized to form the machine learning modelsincluding applying randomly assigned initial weights for the network andapplying gradient descent using back propagation for deep learningalgorithms. In other examples, a neural network with one or two hiddenlayers can be used without training using this technique.

In some examples, the machine learning algorithms will be trained usinglabeled data, or data that represents certain features, specificactions, or characteristics, including a particular position in themouth, a particular brush stroke, a particular user and others. In someexamples, the training data will be pre-filtered or analyzed todetermine certain features, including various high level filters orstarting points that include motion sensing data (brush picked up, brushfacing certain direction with respect to gravity). In other examples,the data will only be labeled with the outcome and the various relevantdata may be input to train the machine learning algorithm.

For instance, to identify the position in the mouth, various machinelearning algorithms may be utilized that input various data disclosedherein, including motion (accelerometer output, gyroscope output,magnetometer output), visual data from the camera on the base station 2,or other data that is relevant to the position of the oral hygienedevice 1 during brushing. For instance, in some embodiments, the inputdata for determining toothbrush position may only include data outputfrom the sensors on the oral hygiene device 1. For instance, in someexamples, the input data will be labeled data from the accelerationsensor alone.

In other examples, to identify position, the input data may be variouscombinations of labeled data output from the accelerometer,magnetometer, and gyroscope. In some examples, the starting and endingpoints of the input data will be quite important. In some examples, theinput data may be a combination of data output from the sensors on theoral hygiene device, and sensors on the base station 2, for example, thevisual recognition or depth perception systems.

Similarly, for systems 100 that identify types of brush strokes (e.g.specific actions), the systems may utilize machine learning fromcombinations of data output from various sensors. In some examples, dataoutput from the accelerometer alone may be sufficient to identify brushstrokes. This is particularly the case because most brush strokes have aparticular acceleration pattern that is repeated, and may includeangular information with respect to gravity as disclosed herein.

In systems 100 that identify users, machine learning algorithms may beutilized to detect the face of the user, and identify the user with aunique profile. In these examples, the user may first use the systemthat includes a base station 2 with a camera 56 that may take an initialpicture of the user. The user can then indicate their profile selection,and the system can use that picture to identify that user in the future.Over time, the system may acquire additional photos or video of the userto make the identification of the user more robust (more labeledtraining sets, for example).

Machine Learning—Acquisition of Training Data

In some examples, the labeling of training data may include operatorsthat review data that is recorded while a video camera captures imagesof a user. In other examples, a user prompt will tell the user (1) whereto brush, and (2) potentially the type of brush stroke (e.g. otherspecific actions) to use, to train the system. For instance, in someexamples, the system 100 may utilize a coach or other instructor with aschematic of the mouth that may highlight, light up, or otherwiseinstruct the user where to brush. These instructions may be displayed ona display of a mobile device, for instance.

Accordingly, an automatic instruction system may be utilized to acquiretraining data for a particular user (to personalize the algorithm) orfor many users. For instance, in the case where the system 100implements a mobile device 30, the system may display a schematic of theuser's dentition on the mobile device 30 screen, and indicate whichregions the user should brush in sequence, real time. Then, the systemcan record the data as labeled training data, with each set of dataindicating a certain position in the mouth.

Additionally, the system 100 may indicate the type of brush stroke touse, including circular, back and forth, or more complex strokes asdisclosed herein. Accordingly, these will all provide input trainingdata to the system 100 to learn how to identify positions in the mouthand certain brush strokes.

In some examples, however, the input data from the coach styleacquisition may be required to be filtered, have the dimensionalityreduced before feeding the labeled data into the algorithm fordeveloping a model. For instance, a principal component analysis orother dimensionality reduction method may be implemented before thelabeled data is fed into the algorithm(s).

In other examples, various filters may be utilized to filter the databefore labeling and entering the data as training data. For instance, ifa machine learning model for identifying position is being developed,the system may filter out various accelerations that include fast timechanges, or periodic accelerations that are related to brush strokesrather than position. Similarly, for brush strokes, accelerations thatare steady (e.g. gravitational) may be filtered out and only periodicaccelerations will be analyzed or fed into the system. In other examplesthe data may not be pre-filtered and the sensitive deep learningalgorithms may reliably determine position with additional data.

In other examples, the data may be pre-filtered or post-filtered (laterrejected after analysis) in case the user is performing someone actionwrong or not in accordance with the instructions displayed on the mobile30 or other device display. Additionally, various filters or techniquesmay be utilized to determine when the user is in position and complyingwith the instructions, for instance once a periodic brushing is detected(with a periodic change in acceleration for example).

Presentation of Feedback

Once the system's 100 controller(s) 13, or other processors contained inthe smartphone, servers, or other components of the system 100 haveanalyzed the usage data 78, feedback may be presented to the user 80through the speaker 50, the visual indicators 52 on the oral hygienedevice 1, or through an associated mobile device 30 or other computingdevice in data communication with the system 100. This feedback may bepresented instantaneously or available for access to check progress.

For instance, instantaneous feedback may be provided to the user 80during brushing, that includes indications by audio or visual means thatindicate how much time is left, whether to brush harder or softer,whether certain quadrants have been sufficiently brushed, and whenbrushing is completed. For example, a red light or stop sound may beproduced through the speaker 50 to indicate the brushing is completed.

Additionally, historic and average brushing times and positional datamay be presented to the user 80 on the mobile device or other computingdevice using graphs, charts, percentages and other metrics. Forinstance, the user could be presented with the average time spent perday, per quadrant, and the average days the user brushes once, twice orother times. Additionally, the average time spent brushing per tooth maybe calculated and presented to the user on the mobile device 30 or othercomputing device. A program 15 running on the mobile device may controlthe presentation of the data, using the mobile device 30 controller 13.

In some examples, the system may combine the filtered and processedposition and brush stroke identifications, and potentially tarteridentification to give holistic feedback. For instance, in someexamples, the feedback will not only be related to the time in eachposition of the mouth, but will also include the strokes used in eachposition of the mouth. In some examples, certain stroke techniques willpresent higher feedback scores to the user, or certain strokes that areused in certain positions in the mouth.

Accordingly, as show in FIGS. 9A and 9B, an application according tosome implementations may include a mobile device 30 display 910 that mayinclude a heatmap 920 or other visual representation of the positionsthe user has brushed, the accuracy of the brushing in each position, andthe amount of time, and the type of stroke used. This information canprovide a user with multiple goals for improving brushing.

Referring to FIG. 10 , an oral hygiene system 1000 includes an oralhygiene device 1002, a sensor 1004, a display device 1006, a processor1008, a memory device 1010, and a communication module 1012. The oralhygiene system 1000 is generally used to promote compliance with an oralhygiene regimen by executing an associated application using theprocessor 1008 and memory device 1010, and displaying the application onthe display device 1006.

The oral hygiene device 1002 is the same as or similar to the oralhygiene device 1 (FIG. 3A) described above, and more generally can beany typical manual toothbrush or electric toothbrush. The oral hygienedevice 1002 includes a head 1002 a and a handle 1002 b (FIG. 13B). Thesensor 1004 is generally used to track motion of the oral hygiene device1002. The sensor 1004 can be an optical sensor, a camera, a pressuresensor, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a depth perception sensor,a gyrometer, a magnetometer sensor, any other suitable sensor, or anycombination thereof.

The display device 1006 is generally used to display still images, videoimages, or both. The display device 1006 can be, for example, thedisplay device a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, a smart watch, atelevision, a smart mirror, or any other suitable display device. Thedisplay device 1006 can also include a user interface to receive inputsfrom a user, such as, for example, a touchscreen interface, a graphicaluser interface, a hardware interface, or the like, or any combinationthereof.

The memory device 1010 stores instructions (e.g., an associated softwareapplication) that are executable by the processor 1008. The sensor 1004,the display device 1006, the processor 1008, and the memory device 1010are communicatively coupled to one another. While the sensor 1004, theprocessor 1008, the memory device 1010, and the display device 1006 areshown as separate components, the sensor 1004, the processor 1008, thememory device 1010, or any combination thereof, can be included in asingle housing (e.g., within a smartphone). Alternatively, the processor1008 and the memory device 1010 can be included in a controller (notshown) that is the same as or similar to the controller 13 describedabove.

In some implementations, the sensor 1004, the display device 1006, theprocessor 1008, the memory 1010, and the communication module 1012 canbe integrated into a single housing 1014. In some implementations, thehousing 1014 is a smartphone. The smartphone can further include aspeaker (not shown), a light (e.g., an LED light), a camera (e.g., afront-facing camera), a microphone, or the like, or any combinationthereof. Alternatively, the sensor 1004, the display device 1006, theprocessor 1008, the memory 1010, the communication module 1012, or anycombination thereof can be decoupled from one another as separatecomponents. For example, the housing 1014 can include the display device1006, the memory 1008, the processor 1010, and the communication module1012, while the sensor 1004 is a separate component (e.g., a standalonesensor that is part of a base station for the oral hygiene device 1002).Thus, various combinations of the basic components described herein canbe integrated into the housing 1014.

Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, a schematic 1100 and a timer 1102 aredisplayed on the display device 1006. Typically, the processor 1008executes an associated software application to cause the schematic 1100and timer 1102 to be displayed on the display device 1006.

The schematic 1102 represents at least a portion of a set of teeth of auser. As shown, the schematic 1102 includes a set of maxillary teeth1110 and a set of mandibular teeth 1120. The set of maxillary teeth 1110is divided into a plurality of maxillary sections 1112, and the set ofmandibular teeth 1120 is also divided into a plurality of mandibularsections 1122. As shown, the plurality of maxillary sections 1112 andthe plurality of mandibular sections 1122 each include four sectionshaving substantially the same size. Each of the plurality of maxillarysections 1112 includes an occlusal surface 1114, an inner surface 1116,and an outer surface 1118. Similarly, each of the plurality ofmandibular sections 1122 includes an occlusal surface 1124, an innersurface 1126, and an outer surface 1128.

In some implementations, the plurality of maxillary sections 1112 and/orthe plurality of mandibular sections 1122 can further includerepresentations of individual teeth (not shown). While the schematic1102 is shown as including plan views of the set of maxillary teeth 1110and the set of mandibular teeth 1120, other views and orientations ofthe set of teeth are contemplated. For example, the schematic 1100 caninclude front or side views of maxillary teeth, mandibular teeth, orboth. Further, in some implementations, the schematic 1012 includes onlya portion of the set of teeth of the user. For example, the schematic1100 can include only the set of maxillary teeth 1110, the set ofmandibular teeth 1120, or any number of the plurality of maxillarysections 1112 or mandibular sections 1122 (e.g., one section, threesections, etc.), or any combination thereof. Further still, while theschematic 1100 is shown as two-dimensional, the schematic 1102 can be athree-dimensional representation of a set of teeth of a user. In otherimplementations, the schematic 1100 can further include a representationof a tongue of the user (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 11B, a first indicium 1131, a second indicium 1132,and a third indicium 1133 are displayed on the display device 1006 andoverlaid on the schematic 1100. Generally, the indicium 1131, 1132, 1133are overlaid on the schematic 1100 to promote the user of the system1000 to brush an associated section of the user's teeth. As shown, thefirst indicium 1131 is overlaid on a second section of the plurality ofmandibular sections 1122. Overlaying the first indicium 1131 as shownassociates the first indicium 1131 with the second section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122. The second indicium 1132 isoverlaid on a fourth section of the plurality of mandibular sections1122 to associate the second indicium 1132 with the fourth section ofthe plurality of mandibular sections 1122. Similarly, the third indicium1133 is overlaid on a second section of the plurality of maxillarysections 1112 to associate the third indicium 1133 with the secondsection of the plurality of maxillary sections 1112. In this manner,various indicia can be overlaid on the schematic 1100 to associate eachindicium with a desired portion of the set of teeth in the schematic1100.

The position of each of the indicium 1131, 1132, 1133 relative to theschematic 1100 can be used to further associate each indicium with aparticular surface of the set of teeth. For example, as shown, the firstindicium 1131 is overlaid directly on top of the second section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122. Thus, the first indicium 1131 isassociated with the occlusal surface 1124 of the second section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122. The second indicium 1132 isoverlaid on the schematic 1110 such that the second indicium 1132 isgenerally adjacent to, but spaced from, the fourth section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122. This positioning of the secondindicium 1132 associates the second indicium with the inner surface 1126of the fourth section of the plurality of mandibular sections 1122. Thethird indicium 1133 is overlaid on the schematic 1100 such that itpartially overlaps the second section of the plurality of maxillarysections 1112, associating the third indicium 1133 with both theocclusal surface 1114 and the outer surface 1118. In this manner, thepositioning of each indicium can be used to associate the indicium withvarious sections of the schematic 1100 with increasing granularity.While not shown, an indicium can also be associated with a plurality ofsections by being overlaid on the schematic 1100 such that it overlapsplurality of sections of the maxillary or mandibular sections of teeth.

Each of the indicium 1131, 1132, 1133 can be a still image, a videoimage, an animated image, or the like. The image(s) chosen for eachindicium are generally used to promote a user of the system 1000 tobrush the associated section of the user's teeth. To that end, theimages can have a negative connotation which encourages the user todesire to remove the image from the display device. For example, theindicia can be an image of a monster, an alien, a frowning face, afictional villain/character, a storm cloud, or the like, or anycombination thereof. Alternatively, the image(s) can be associated witha positive connotation which encourages the user to attempt to collector acquire the item/thing in the image. For example, the indicia can beimages of coins or money, points, stars, animals, collectibles, or thelike, or any combination thereof. Finally, the indicia can moregenerally by any image, such as a shape (e.g., a circle, a square, atriangle, or any other polygon), a checkmark, other symbol, or anycombination thereof.

While the schematic 1100 is shown as including three indicia (indicium1131, 1132, and 1133), any number of indicium are possible, such as, forexample, one indicium, two indicium, five indicium, ten indicium,sixteen indicium, etc.

Referring to FIG. 12 , a method 1200 for promoting compliance with anoral hygiene regimen using the system 1000 includes a first step 1202, asecond step 1204, a third step 1206, a fourth step 1208, and a fifthstep 1210.

The first step 1202 includes displaying the schematic 1100 on thedisplay device 1106 (FIG. 11A). The first step 1202 can be initiated bya variety of triggering events, such as, for example, initiation of auser brushing session. The user can indicate that a user brushingsession has been initiated by providing an input (e.g., pressing abutton on the display device 1006). Alternatively, the first step 1202can be initiated by determining, using the sensor 1004, that the oralhygiene device 1002 is moving (e.g., a user has picked up thetoothbrush). This movement indicates that the user has initiated a userbrushing session and initiates the first step 1202 of the method 1200.

The second step 1204 includes overlaying an indicium on the schematic1100 displayed on the display device 1006. For example, the firstindicium 1131 (FIG. 11B) can be overlaid on the second section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122. The first indicium 1131 can beoverlaid on the schematic 1100 in a variety of ways. For example, thefirst indicium 1131 can abruptly appear on the schematic 1100, or theindicium 1131 can slowly appear (e.g., the indicium 1131 initiallyappears semi-transparent and becomes less transparent) over apredetermined period of time (e.g., one second, five seconds, tenseconds, etc.). In some implementations, the first indicium 1131 can beoverlaid during the second step 1204 using an animation. For example,the first indicium 1131 may first appear on the far left side of thedisplay device 1006 and move towards its final position on the schematic1100. Overlaying the first indicium 1131 during the second step 1204 canalso include an associated sound that is played through a speaker (notshown).

Like the first step 1202, the second step 1204 can be initiated by avariety of triggering events. For example, the second step 1204 can beinitiated after the system 1000 has determined that a predeterminedamount of time has elapsed since a user brushing session has beeninitiated (e.g., two seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute,etc.). The second step 1204 can also be initiated automatically uponinitiation of a user brushing session such that the overlaid indicium isdisplayed at the same time that the schematic 1100 is displayed on thedisplay device 1006 during the first step 1202. Alternatively, thetriggering event for initiating the second step 1204 can be a user inputreceived by the display device 1006.

The indicium can be overlaid on any portion of the schematic 1100 duringthe second step 1204 (e.g., the first indicium 1131, the second indicium1132, or the third indicium 1133). Further, the second step 1204 caninclude overlaying a plurality of indicium (e.g., the first indicium1131 and the third indicium 1133). The section of the schematic 1100chosen for overlaying the indicium during the second step 1204 can berandom or predetermined. For example, an individual (e.g., the user, aparent of the user, a dentist, or any other third party) can input, viathe display device 1006, the section(s) of the schematic 1100 where anindicium should be overlaid. For example, if the user has had a cavityor other dental problems in a certain area of the user's mouth, theindicium can be overlaid on the corresponding section of the schematic1100 during the second step 1204 to aid in preventing future cavities ordental problems in that area.

The third step 1206 includes determining a position of the oral hygienedevice 1002 relative to the mouth/teeth of the user. Generally, thesystem 1000 determines the position of the oral hygiene device 1002 inthe user's mouth using the sensor 1004, the processor 1008, and thememory device 1010. Any of the mechanisms described above can be used todetermine the position of the oral hygiene device 1002 during the thirdstep 1206 (e.g., a visual pattern, an optical sensor, a motion sensor, aproximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a depth perception sensor, acamera, a gyrometer, a magnetic field generator and magnetometer sensor,or any combination thereof).

During the third step 1206, the position of the oral hygiene device 1002is associated with a section of the set of teeth of the user. Thissection of the set of teeth of the user is then associated with asection of the schematic 1100 (FIGS. 11A & 11B). For example, if it isdetermined that the head of the oral hygiene device 1002 is positionedon an outer surface of a front left quadrant of the user's mandibularteeth (e.g., an upper lateral incisor), the position of the head of theoral hygiene device 1002 is associated with the outer surface 1128 ofthe second section of the plurality of mandibular sections 1122 in theschematic 1100. If the oral hygiene device 1002 is positioned generallyadjacent to or near the mouth of the user, but is not directly adjacentto any teeth, the position is not associated with a section of theschematic 1100.

The fourth step 1208 includes removing the indicium from the displaydevice 1006 responsive to determining that the head of the oral hygienedevice 1002 is positioned directly adjacent to (e.g., contacting) asection of the set of teeth that corresponds to the section of theschematic 1100 including the indicium for a predetermined amount oftime. For example, as described above, the first indicium 1131 isoverlaid on the occlusal surface 1124 of the second section of theplurality of mandibular sections 1122, and that section of the schematic1100 is associated with a section of the set of teeth of the user. If itis determined that the head of the oral hygiene device 1002 ispositioned on the associated section of the set of teeth for apredetermined period of time, the first indicium 1131 is removed fromthe display device 1006.

The predetermined amount of time for removing an indicium is typicallyselected to prompt the user to brush the associated section of the setof teeth for a certain period of time in accordance with proper brushinghabits, and more generally can be any period of time (e.g., one second,five seconds, ten seconds, one minute, two minutes, etc.). The timer1102 (FIGS. 11A and 11B) can be used either to show the user how longthey have brushed a particular section of the set of teeth, as acountdown to show a user how much longer they need to brush anassociated section of the set of teeth to remove the indicium, to showthe user the total time that has elapsed in a given user brushingsession, or any combination thereof.

Requiring the user to brush the associated section of the set of teethfor the predetermined period of time to remove an indicium aids inpromoting compliance with a proper oral hygiene regimen. For example, ifthe predetermined period of time is five seconds, the user must brushthe occlusal surface of the front left quadrant of the user's teeth forfive seconds in order to remove the first indicium 1131 from the displaydevice 1106. In this example, the first indicium 1131 can be an image ofa monster, which can incentivize or encourage a user to brush theassociated section of their teeth to remove the image of the monster.

Removing the indicium during the fourth step 1208 can be accomplished ina number of ways. For example, in response to the conditions for removaldescribed above, the first indicium 1131 can be immediately removed fromthe display device 1006. Alternatively, the transparency of the firstindicium 1131 can be increased during the predetermined amount of timesuch that the first indicium slowly disappears from the display device1006. In another example, removal of the first indicium 1131 includes ananimation (e.g., the first indicium 1131 moves across the display device1006 and disappears).

In some implementations, the fourth step 1208 further includesoverlaying a removal image on the indicium prior to removing theindicium from the display device 1006. The removal image is generallyused to emphasize that the indicium is being removed from the displaydevice. For example, the removal image can be an “X”, a lightning bolt,a cloud, a fire/explosion, or any other image conveying to the user thatthe indicium is being removed. In one example, the first indicium 1131is an image of a monster and the removal image is an image of alightning bolt, which permits a user to perceive that the monster hasbeen “destroyed”. More generally, the removal image can be any stillimage or video image.

The fourth step 1208 can also include determining that movement of thehead of the oral hygiene device 1002 corresponds to a predeterminedbrush stroke type (e.g., the circular brush stroke, the back-and-forthbrush stroke, or the angled brush stroke described herein). In suchimplementations, the indicium is removed after determining (1) theposition of the head of the oral hygiene device 1002 corresponds to thesection of the schematic 1100 associated with the indicium for apredetermined amount of time, and (2) movement of the head of the oralhygiene device 1002 corresponds to a predetermined brush stroke duringat least a portion of the predetermined amount of time. More generally,any other triggering event or condition can be added to the fourth step1208 prior to causing the indicium to be removed from the display device1006.

The second step 1204, the third step 1206, and the fourth step 1208 canbe repeated one or more times to further aid in promoting compliancewith an oral hygiene regimen. For example, after the first indicium 1131(FIG. 11B) is removed during the fourth step 1208, the second step 1204is repeated and the second indicium 1132 (FIG. 11B) is overlaid on theschematic 1100. The third step 1206 is then repeated to again determinethe position of the oral hygiene device 1002, and the second indicium1132 is removed in the fourth step 1208 once the conditions describedabove are satisfied. In this manner, a plurality of indicium can beoverlaid and removed during a given brushing session to promotecompliance with an oral hygiene regimen. The indicia can be overlaid onthe schematic 1100 during the repeating of the steps 1204, 1206, and1208 in a predetermined sequence or a random sequence. For example, afirst predetermined sequence can include sequentially overlaying anindicium/indicia on each section of the schematic 1100 to urge the userto brush all of the corresponding sections of the user's teeth (e.g.,the indicia appear left to right along the plurality of maxillarysections 1112 in FIG. 11A as steps 1204, 1206, and 1208 are repeated).In another example, a second predetermined sequence can includesequentially overlaying indicia in accordance with the user's brushinghistory, which can be stored in the memory device 1010 (e.g., overlayingan indicium on a section of the schematic 1100 that the user most oftenmisses while brushing, or a section in which the user has had a cavity).

In some implementations, the fourth step 1208 does not remove theindicium completely from the display device 1006 but instead moves theindicium from a first location on the schematic 1100 to a secondposition on the schematic 1100. For example, rather than removing thefirst indicium 1131 from the schematic 1100 after all of the conditionsare satisfied, the first indicium 1131 can be moved to a second positionon the schematic (e.g., the position of the second indicium 1132 shownin FIG. 11B).

The fifth step 1210 includes capturing an image of the user using acamera. As described above, the display device 1006 can include acamera, the sensor 1004 can include a camera, or the camera can be aseparate component. The image of the user can include an augmentedreality image that is overlaid on at least a portion of the image of theuser. For example, the augmented reality image can be a hat, ears, eyes,a nose, clothing, sparkles, or other objects or graphics that aresuperimposed on the image of the user. Further, the image can include anassociated customized message that the user can input using a user inputof the display device 1006 (e.g., a touchscreen keyboard).

The sixth step 1212 includes transmitting a notification to a thirdparty (e.g., the user's parents or dentist) via the communication module1012. The notification can include the image of the user and/oraugmented reality image taken during the fifth step 1210. Thenotification can also include information regarding the user brushingsession (e.g., how long the user has brushed teeth, if the usersuccessfully removed all indicia, etc.). The notification further aidsin promoting compliance with an oral hygiene routine by allowing a thirdparty to monitor the user's brushing habits. The notification can alsobe sent to a user social media account (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.)to be shared with third parties. While the sixth step 1212 is shown asbeing subsequent to the fifth step 1210, the sixth step 1212 can also bedirectly subsequent to completion of the fourth step 1208 (i.e., thenotification is transmitted without capturing an image of the user).

The seventh step 1214 includes displaying a selectable item on thedisplay device 1006. Referring to FIG. 13A, a plurality of selectableitems 1300 are displayed on the display device 1006. The plurality ofselectable items 1300 are generally used as a user interface to permitthe user to control or initiate various aspects of the associatedapplication. For example, selecting one of the plurality of selectableitems 1300 can cause the camera described above to take a photo of theuser (e.g., initiate the fifth step 1210).

While the plurality of selectable items 1300 is shown as included twoselectable items, any number of selectable items can be displayed on thedisplay device 1006 (e.g., one selectable item, five selectable items,fifteen selectable items, etc.). While shown as rectangular in FIG. 13Afor illustrative purposes, the plurality of selectable items 1300generally can be text, images, symbols, or combinations thereof.

In some implementations, the number of the plurality of selectable items1300 can correspond the number of indicium that are removed from thedisplay device 1006 as steps 1202 through 1208 are repeated during abrushing session. For example, if the user removes two indicia from thedisplay device 1006 during a brushing session, the plurality ofselectable items 1300 includes two selectable items that the user canselect. Similarly, the number of the plurality of selectable items 1300can increase as the user successfully removes indicia during the courseof a plurality of brushing sessions. For example, a given selectableitem will only appear (or be “unlocked”) after the user has removed allof the indicia during a predetermined number of consecutive brushingsessions (e.g., two sessions, four sessions, ten sessions, etc.). Inthis manner, the number of the plurality of selectable items 1300 can beused as a rewards system to incentivize or encourage the user to complywith a proper oral hygiene regimen.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the plurality of selectable items 1300 aredisplayed on the display device 1006 within a coordinate system 1302.Each of the plurality of selectable items 1300 is associated with aposition within coordinate system 1302. As shown, a first one of theplurality of selectable items 1300 has a position 1304 within thecoordinate system 1302.

The eighth step 1216 (FIG. 12 ) includes receiving a selection of aselectable item displayed on the display device 1006. The user selectsone or more of the plurality of selectable items 1300 by moving the oralhygiene device 1002 relative to the display device 1006 to a positionthat corresponds with the position of the selectable item within thecoordinate system 1302.

Referring to FIG. 13B, the oral hygiene device 1002 is positioned in athree-dimensional volumetric space 1320 that is generally in front ofthe display device 1006 and/or the sensor 1004. As described above, thesensor 1004 and display device 1006 can be included in a housing (e.g.,a smartphone). Preferably, the sensor 1004 is a camera that is includedwith the display device 1006 as part of a smartphone such that thethree-dimensional volumetric space 1320 is generally in front of boththe display device 1006 and the sensor 1004. In such implementations,the three-dimensional volumetric space 1320 corresponds to the field ofview of the sensor 1004.

As shown, the three-dimensional volumetric space 1320 includes acoordinate system 1322. The coordinate system 1322 permits the system1000 to determine, using the sensor 1004, the processor 1008, and thememory device 1010, a position of the head 1002 a of the oral hygienedevice 1002 within the three-dimensional volumetric space 1320. Thecoordinate system 1322 of the three-dimensional volumetric space 1320corresponds to the coordinate system 1302 of the display device 1006,meaning that a given position within the coordinate system 1302 (FIG.13A) has an associated position within the coordinate system 1322 (FIG.13B).

To select one of the plurality of selectable items 1300 (FIG. 13A), theuser moves the oral hygiene device 1002 within three-dimensionalvolumetric space 1320 until the position of the head 1002 a is theposition within the coordinate system 1322 (FIG. 13B) that correspondsto the position of the selectable item within the coordinate system 1302(FIG. 13A). In addition, rather than requiring the position of the head1002 a within the coordinate system 1322 to exactly correspond to theposition of the selectable item in the coordinate system 1302, aselection may be received by determining that the position of the head1002 a within the coordinate system 1322 is within a predetermineddistance of the position in the coordinate system 1322 that correspondswith the position of the selectable item in the coordinate system 1302(FIG. 13A). In other words, the head 1002 a does not need to be exactlypositioned to select a selectable item. The predetermined distance canbe, for example, a quarter inch, one inch, two inches, four inches, sixinches, or any other suitable distance. After the user moves the head1002 a of the oral hygiene device 1002 to the associated position, thesystem 1000 receives a selection of that selectable item, which triggersthe corresponding function (e.g., causes the camera to take a photo ofthe user, to cause an augmented reality image to be overlaid on an imageof the user, etc.).

While the system 1000 and associated method 2000 have been shown anddescribed herein as displaying the schematic 1100, the timer 1102,and/or the plurality of selectable items 1300, it is expresslycontemplated that other images can be displayed on the display device1006. For example, in some implementations, a representation of the oralhygiene device 1002 can be displayed on the display device 1002. Therepresentation of the oral hygiene device can be animated such that itsmovement is substantially similar to the movement of the oral hygienedevice 1002 (e.g., if the user is moving the oral hygiene device 1002side-to-side, the representation also moves side-to-side). Further, therepresentation of the oral hygiene device can be an image of an oralhygiene device (e.g., an image of a typical toothbrush or an image ofthe actual oral hygiene device 1002), or more generally any other image.For example, the representation of the oral hygiene device can be asword, a baseball bat, a hockey stick, or any other object. Thus, theuser can move the oral hygiene device 1002 to cause a correspondingmovement of the representation of the oral hygiene device on the displaydevice 1006.

Computer & Hardware Implementation of Disclosure

It should initially be understood that the disclosure herein may beimplemented with any type of hardware and/or software, and may be apre-programmed general purpose computing device. For example, the systemmay be implemented using a server, a personal computer, a portablecomputer, a thin client, or any suitable device or devices. Thedisclosure and/or components thereof may be a single device at a singlelocation, or multiple devices at a single, or multiple, locations thatare connected together using any appropriate communication protocolsover any communication medium such as electric cable, fiber optic cable,or in a wireless manner.

It should also be noted that the disclosure is illustrated and discussedherein as having a plurality of modules which perform particularfunctions. It should be understood that these modules are merelyschematically illustrated based on their function for clarity purposesonly, and do not necessary represent specific hardware or software. Inthis regard, these modules may be hardware and/or software implementedto substantially perform the particular functions discussed. Moreover,the modules may be combined together within the disclosure, or dividedinto additional modules based on the particular function desired. Thus,the disclosure should not be construed to limit the present invention,but merely be understood to illustrate one example implementationthereof.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someimplementations, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to aclient device (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receivinguser input from a user interacting with the client device). Datagenerated at the client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction)can be received from the client device at the server.

Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-endcomponent, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-endcomponent, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described in this specification, or anycombination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-endcomponents. The components of the system can be interconnected by anyform or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), an inter-network (e.g., theInternet), and peer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peernetworks).

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described inthis specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively, orin addition, the program instructions can be encoded on anartificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, orother storage devices).

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a “data processing apparatus” on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing The apparatus can includespecial purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gatearray) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Theapparatus can also include, in addition to hardware, code that createsan execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g.,code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtimeenvironment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them.The apparatus and execution environment can realize various differentcomputing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributedcomputing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, orother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console,a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device(e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made tothe described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will also recognizethat certain embodiments described for one device or system can bereadily, or with slight modification, be included in the embodimentsdescribed for another device or system, without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

By way of example, the following selected embodiments are illustrativeexamples of the present disclosure.

SELECTED EMBODIMENTS

Although the above description and the attached claims disclose a numberof embodiments, other alternative aspects of the invention are disclosedin the following further embodiments.

Embodiment 1. A method for promoting compliance with an oral hygieneregimen, the method comprising: displaying, on a display device, arepresentation of at least a portion of a set of teeth of a user;overlaying an indicium on the representation such that the indicium isassociated with a first section of the representation; and responsive toa determination, via at least one of one or more processors, that a headof an oral hygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a firstsection of the set of teeth that corresponds to the first section of therepresentation for at least a predetermined amount of time, causing theindicium to be removed from the display device.

Embodiment 2. The method according to any one of embodiment 1, furthercomprising, responsive to the removing the indicium, transmitting anotification to a third party via a communication module.

Embodiment 3. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 and 2,further comprising capturing an image of the user using a camera anddisplaying the image of the user on the display device.

Embodiment 4. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-3,further comprising displaying a selectable item on the display device,the selectable item being positioned at a first location within acoordinate system, the first location within the coordinate system beingassociated with a location in a volumetric space generally in front ofthe display device; and responsive to a determination, via at least oneof the one or more processors, that the head of the oral hygiene deviceis positioned within a predetermined distance of the location in thevolumetric space associated with the first location in the coordinatesystem for a predetermined amount of time, receiving a selection of theselectable item.

Embodiment 5. The method according to any one of embodiment 4, furthercomprising capturing an image of the user using a camera and displayingthe image of the user on the display device, and subsequent to receivingthe selection of the selectable item, transmitting the image of the userto a third party via a communication module.

Embodiment 6. The method according to any one of embodiment 4, furthercomprising, capturing an image of the user using a camera and displayingthe image of the user on the display device, and subsequent to receivingthe selection of the selectable item, overlaying a graphic associatedwith the selectable item on the image of the user on the display device.

Embodiment 7. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-6,further comprising transmitting the image of the user and the overlaidgraphic to a third party via a communication module.

Embodiment 8. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-7,wherein the determination further includes determining that movement ofthe head of the oral hygiene device corresponds to a predetermined brushstroke type.

Embodiment 9. The method according to any one of embodiment 8, whereinthe predetermined brush stroke type is a circular brush stroke, aback-and-forth brush stroke, an angled brush stroke, or any combinationthereof.

Embodiment 10. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-9,wherein the first teeth section representation corresponds to a completeset of maxillary teeth or a complete set of mandibular teeth.

Embodiment 11. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-10,wherein the first section of the representation corresponds to one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of maxillary teeth or one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of mandibular teeth.

Embodiment 12. The method according to any one of embodiments 1-11,wherein the first section of the set of teeth has an inner surface, anouter surface, and an occlusal surface, wherein the determining furtherincludes determining that the head of the oral hygiene device isdirectly adjacent to one of the inner surface, the outer surface, or theocclusal surface of the set of teeth.

Embodiment 13. An oral hygiene system, the system comprising: an oralhygiene device including a handle and a head; a sensor; a displaydevice; one or more processors; and a memory device storing instructionsthat, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors causethe oral hygiene system to, display, on the display device, arepresentation of at least a portion of a set of teeth of a user;overlay an indicium on the representation such that the indicium isassociated with a first section of the representation; responsive to adetermination, via at least one of the one or more processors, that thehead of the oral hygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to afirst section of the set of teeth that corresponds to the first sectionof the representation for at least a predetermined amount of time,causing the indicium to be removed from the display.

Embodiment 14. The system according to any one of embodiment 13, furthercomprising a communication module that is configured to transmit anotification to a third party responsive to removal of the indicium fromthe display device.

Embodiment 15. The system according to any one of embodiments 13 and 14,further comprising a camera configured to capture an image of a user,wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one ormore processors cause the display device to display the image of theuser.

Embodiment 16. The system according to any one of embodiment 15, furthercomprising a communication module that is configured to transmit theimage of the user to a third party.

Embodiment 17. The system according to any one of embodiments 13-16,wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one ormore processors cause the oral hygiene system to display a selectableitem on the display device, the selectable item being positioned at afirst location within a coordinate system, the first location within thecoordinate system being associated with a location in a volumetric spacegenerally in front of the display device; and responsive to adetermination, via the sensor, that the head of the oral hygiene deviceis positioned within a predetermined distance of the location in thevolumetric space associated with the first location in the coordinatesystem for a predetermined amount of time, receive a selection of theselectable item.

Embodiment 18. The system according to any one of embodiment 17, whereinthe instructions, when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors cause the oral hygiene system to overlay a graphic associatedwith the selectable item on the image of the user on the display deviceresponsive to receiving the selection of the selectable item.

Embodiment 19. The system according to any one of embodiment 18, furthercomprising a communication module that is configured to transmit theimage of the user and the overlaid graphic to a third party.

Embodiment 20. The system according to any one of embodiments 13-19,wherein the determination further includes determining that movement ofthe head of the oral hygiene device corresponds to a predetermined brushstroke type.

Embodiment 21. The system according to any one of embodiment 20, whereinthe predetermined brush stroke type is a circular brush stroke, aback-and-forth brush stroke, an angled brush stroke, or any combinationthereof.

Embodiment 22. The system according to any one of embodiments 13-21,wherein the first section of the representation corresponds to acomplete set of maxillary teeth or a complete set of mandibular teeth.

Embodiment 23. The system according to any one of embodiments 13-22,wherein the first section of the representation corresponds to one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of maxillary teeth or one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of mandibular teeth.

Embodiment 24. The system according to any one of embodiments 13-23,wherein the sensor is an optical sensor, a motion sensor, a gyrometer, amagnetometer, an accelerometer, a camera, or any combination thereof.

CONCLUSION

The various methods and techniques described above provide a number ofways to carry out the invention. Of course, it is to be understood thatnot necessarily all objectives or advantages described can be achievedin accordance with any particular embodiment described herein. Thus, forexample, those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods can beperformed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or groupof advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otherobjectives or advantages as taught or suggested herein. A variety ofalternatives are mentioned herein. It is to be understood that someembodiments specifically include one, another, or several features,while others specifically exclude one, another, or several features,while still others mitigate a particular feature by inclusion of one,another, or several advantageous features.

Furthermore, the skilled artisan will recognize the applicability ofvarious features from different embodiments. Similarly, the variouselements, features and steps discussed above, as well as other knownequivalents for each such element, feature or step, can be employed invarious combinations by one of ordinary skill in this art to performmethods in accordance with the principles described herein. Among thevarious elements, features, and steps some will be specifically includedand others specifically excluded in diverse embodiments.

Although the application has been disclosed in the context of certainembodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in theart that the embodiments of the application extend beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodimentsand/or uses and modifications and equivalents thereof.

In some embodiments, the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similarreferences used in the context of describing a particular embodiment ofthe application (especially in the context of certain of the followingclaims) can be construed to cover both the singular and the plural. Therecitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, eachindividual value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (for example, “such as”) provided withrespect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to betterilluminate the application and does not pose a limitation on the scopeof the application otherwise claimed. No language in the specificationshould be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential tothe practice of the application.

Certain embodiments of this application are described herein. Variationson those embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art upon reading the foregoing description. It is contemplated thatskilled artisans can employ such variations as appropriate, and theapplication can be practiced otherwise than specifically describedherein. Accordingly, many embodiments of this application include allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed by the application unless otherwise indicatedherein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Particular implementations of the subject matter have been described.Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. Insome cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in adifferent order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, theprocesses depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarilyrequire the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achievedesirable results.

All patents, patent applications, publications of patent applications,and other material, such as articles, books, specifications,publications, documents, things, and/or the like, referenced herein arehereby incorporated herein by this reference in their entirety for allpurposes, excepting any prosecution file history associated with same,any of same that is inconsistent with or in conflict with the presentdocument, or any of same that may have a limiting affect as to thebroadest scope of the claims now or later associated with the presentdocument. By way of example, should there be any inconsistency orconflict between the description, definition, and/or the use of a termassociated with any of the incorporated material and that associatedwith the present document, the description, definition, and/or the useof the term in the present document shall prevail.

In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theapplication disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of theembodiments of the application. Other modifications that can be employedcan be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, butnot of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication can be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for promoting compliance with an oralhygiene regimen, the method comprising: displaying, on a display device,a representation of at least a portion of a set of teeth of a user;overlaying an indicium on the representation such that the indicium isassociated with a first section of the representation responsive to adetermination, via at least one of one or more processors, that a headof an oral hygiene device is positioned directly adjacent to a firstsection of the set of teeth that corresponds to the first section of therepresentation for at least a period of time and that the movement ofthe head of the oral hygiene device corresponds to a predetermined brushstroke during at least a portion of the period of time, causing theindicium to be removed from the first section of the representation; anddisplaying a selectable item on the display device, the selectable itembeing positioned at a first location within a coordinate system, thefirst location within the coordinate system being associated with alocation in a volumetric space generally in front of the display device;and responsive to a determination, via at least one of the one or moreprocessors, that the head of the oral hygiene device is positionedwithin a predetermined distance of the location in the volumetric spaceassociated with the first location in the coordinate system for anamount of time, receiving a selection of the selectable item.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the indicium is a graphic symbol representingan object.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicium obscures therepresentation of the set of teeth.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising capturing an image of the user using a camera and displayingthe image of the user on the display device, and subsequent to receivingthe selection of the selectable item, transmitting the image of the userto a third party via a communication module.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising, capturing an image of the user using a camera anddisplaying the image of the user on the display device, subsequent toreceiving the selection of the selectable item, overlaying a graphicassociated with the selectable item on the image of the user on thedisplay device, and transmitting the image of the user and the overlaidgraphic to a third party via a communication module.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the indicium is an image of a monster, an alien, afrowning face, a fictional character, a storm cloud, coins, money,points, stars, animals, collectibles, a circle, a square, a triangle, acheckmark, or a symbol.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined brush stroke type is selected from a plurality ofpredetermined brush stroke types.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theplurality of predetermined brush stroke type is one of a circular brushstroke, a back-and-forth brush stroke, an angled brush stroke, or anycombination thereof.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first teethsection representation corresponds to a complete set of maxillary teethor a complete set of mandibular teeth.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the first section of the representation corresponds to one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of maxillary teeth or one of aplurality of sections of a complete set of mandibular teeth.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first section of the set of teeth has aninner surface, an outer surface, and an occlusal surface, wherein thedetermining further includes determining that the head of the oralhygiene device is directly adjacent to one of the inner surface, theouter surface, or the occlusal surface of the set of teeth.
 12. An oralhygiene system, the system comprising: an oral hygiene device includinga handle and a head; a sensor; a display device; one or more processors;and a memory device storing instructions that, when executed by at leastone of the one or more processors cause the oral hygiene system to,display, on the display device, a representation of at least a portionof a set of teeth of a user; overlay an indicium on the representationsuch that the indicium is associated with a first section of therepresentation; responsive to a determination, via at least one of theone or more processors, that the head of the oral hygiene device ispositioned directly adjacent to a first section of the set of teeth thatcorresponds to the first section of the representation for at least aperiod of time, causing the indicium to be removed from the firstsection of the representation and to be associated with a second sectionof the representation; wherein the instructions, when executed by atleast one of the one or more processors cause the oral hygiene system todisplay a selectable item on the display device, the selectable itembeing positioned at a first location within a coordinate system, thefirst location within the coordinate system being associated with alocation in a volumetric space generally in front of the display device;responsive to a determination, via the sensor, that the head of the oralhygiene device is positioned within a predetermined distance of thelocation in the volumetric space associated with the first location inthe coordinate system for a predetermined amount of time, receive aselection of the selectable item; and wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the oralhygiene system to overlay a graphic associated with the selectable itemon the image of the user on the display device responsive to receivingthe selection of the selectable item.
 13. The system of claim 12,further comprising a communication module that is configured to transmita notification to a third party responsive to removal of the indicium.14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a camera configured tocapture an image of a user, wherein the instructions, when executed byat least one of the one or more processors cause the display device todisplay the image of the user.
 15. The system of claim 14, furthercomprising a communication module that is configured to transmit theimage of the user to a third party.
 16. The system of claim 12, whereinthe indicium is one of a still image, a video image, or an animatedimage.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the indicium obscures therepresentation of the portion of the set of teeth.